


nothing is real / love is everything

by kryptonianfool



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blushing, Canon Compliant, Character Deaths, Character Study, Confessing Feelings, Cuddles, Dryhumping, Evolving Relationship, F/F, Hugs, Kissing, Mara has a fuck buddy, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Nipples, Self-Discovery, Smut, Smut in chapter 5+8+9+12, Vague descriptions of suicide, coming to terms with feelings, discovering feelings, happy end, holograms, humans and holograms, marahope, mighthope, more tags will follow eventually, sentient hologram, they are in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24859912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kryptonianfool/pseuds/kryptonianfool
Summary: It all began when Mara brought Light Hope flowers. Probably even before that. Somehow, the human and the hologram were drawn to each other from the beginning. Even though highly unlikely, maybe illogical even, no one could stop the blossoming of the relationship between the being of light and the being of magic.
Relationships: Light Hope/Mara (She-Ra), Mara/Serenia (mentioned)
Comments: 71
Kudos: 120





	1. flowers

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna be a collection of stories. Idk how much they will be connected to each other. I might me jumping through time a bit. 
> 
> The idea is to show important milestones in the Mara/Light Hope relationship. The first chapter will start off with the scene in which Mara brings Light Hope flowers „to liven the place up“. Sure, Mara.
> 
> Btw, the rating is T for now, but I don‘t know if it will be higher in the future. I‘ll just go with the flow and see what happens. If the rating changes, I‘ll let you know though.
> 
> Title by Kesha - Spaceship
> 
> I also made a Spotify playlist for them, if anyone‘s interested!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Ds0BEtEQMgyrLPU7C6ZXe?si=tcCmZdFdTlqPutuDsuDkFw
> 
> Okay, have fun!

It all began when Mara had brought her a bunch of dead plants. No, they were called 'flowers'. A bouquet of Etherian flowers, to be precise. They were blooming in all kinds of different colors, pleasing to the eye. Mara must have collected them, outside in the woods. Light Hope was surprised that the brunette had showed up with them. She had offered them to her, wanting her to smell them. With a pang in her chest, Light Hope was reminded that she couldn‘t.

„I have no olfactory sensors.“ she had said. „I cannot smell.“ 

Mara had looked at her with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. She hadn‘t known. It wasn‘t her fault.

But the brunette retaliated quickly from her momentary awkwardness.

„They‘re pretty though, right?“

Light Hope lightened up at that, agreeing with Mara‘s statement. She was thankful that the other woman made sure that the hologram was still battle to enjoy the flowers, even though she couldn‘t smell them. Even without experiencing their their scent, she was still able to look at them. Taking them in visually. And she appreciated the way the flowers looked. They were aesthetically pleasing. She had actually never seen flowers in person before. Or any plant. All she knew was the interior of the ship.

„Thank you for bringing them.“ She wouldn‘t be able to get them herself. She would never be able to leave the ship after all.

Mara proceeded to tell her that she hoped that the flowers would liven the place up. Light Hope looked around, taking in her surroundings. Smooth surfaces, straight lines, glowing displays all around, creating a cool and detached atmosphere. It was all she knew though and so she couldn‘t really tell if she liked the place or not.

„It must be hard, being stuck in here all the time.“

Light Hope looked at the woman in front of her. She was a hologram. She didn‘t care about being inside. It was her purpose to train She-Ra. She had no other aspirations besides that. But, lately, the hologram found that whenever Mara was away, outside, where Light Hope couldn‘t follow her, she anticipated the moment the woman would come back to her.

„I do not mind. Not when you come to visit me.“ Which was true. She didn‘t mind being alone, as long as that meant that Mara would visit her again. Light Hope didn‘t know why she was glad about seeing the other woman. Maybe it was her programming which filled her with the need to be around Mara, so she could train her?

But then again, she didn‘t want to train her at the moment. She just wanted to be around her, doing nothing in particular. Just look at her. Mara had called the flowers pretty, but Light Hope thought that Mara was even prettier than them.

Mara seemed pleased by her words, breaking out in the biggest smile and Light Hope felt… something pulsing inside her at that. Some kind of warmth.

It scared her. She was pretty sure that it wasn‘t part of her programming. She should probably run a scan sometime soon, to see if it was a virus, to see if there was something wrong with her.

But then again, she didn‘t want to. Not when this feeling was so pure, and felt so… right.

Light Hope wanted to give Mara something back, to show her that she was truly grateful for her gift. She turned, raising her hand and created thousands of holographic flowers, spreading over all surfaces of the ship.

Mara looked around, gripping the bouquet of flowers tightly in her hands. Light Hope felt the warmth pulsing inside her again when she observed Mara‘s reaction. Her eyes had widened, her mouth slightly open in wonder as she took in her surroundings. Mara seemed happy.

It was her purpose to train She-Ra, but in this moment Light Hope realized that seeing Mara happy was more important to her than anything else.

This was the moment Light Hope decided to change her programming for the first time.

She had seen the way Mara had enjoyed the flowers. She knew that Mara had shared them with her to give her a little joy. Mara had been happy when Light Hope had appreciated her gift. And Light Hope wanted to make her even happier.

So she did it. When Mara had left and Light Hope was alone again, she accessed her system. She altered her programming. Light Hope was surprised by how easy it was to do so. It did not take much time or effort. 

Light Hope gave herself olfactory sensors. She would finally be able to smell. She would finally share the scent of the pretty flowers with Mara.

A day later, Mara returned. Light Hope had activated the moment she sensed the woman placing a foot inside the ship. Mara greeted her with a big smile and Light Hope felt glad that she was back. 

„I can smell now.“ Light Hope told her without preamble.

„But you said that you don’t have olfactory sensors?“ Mara asked and Light Hope could hear the confusion in der voice.

„That is correct. But I decided to change that because I want to fully experience the flowers you brought me.“

Mara didn’t say anything further and just cast another smile at her. She gestured for the hologram to join her in front of the crude little vase, originally a food container, where Mara had put the bouquet of flowers yesterday. The brunette lifted the flowers and held them out in front of Light Hope. Light Hope looked at Mara before she bowed her head, bringing her nose close to the flowers. She inhaled. 

Her sensors worked. Light Hope was surprised at how sweet the plants smelled. She inhaled again. This was nice.

„Their scent is very pleasing.“

„Right? The flowers on Etheria are truly magical.“ Mara exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. She closed her eyes and leaned forward on the tips of her toes to also sniff at the bouquet. The moment she leaned forward, Light Hope‘s olfactory sensors took note of a new scent. It was Mara. Mara‘s scent.

Light Hope closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Mara smelled vaguely like the flowers, but not as sweet. Light Hope noticed a salty undertone, probably caused by sweat. Had Mara been working out? Did she go on a run, maybe? She also smelled sweet and warm - can a person smell ‚warm‘? Mara‘s smell overtook Light Hope‘s senses. She wanted to lean down to get a more proper chance to smell her, to really analyze the composition of her scent, but Mara would probably not be appreciative off this. In midst her swirling thoughts, the hologram felt the warmth spreading out again, taking over her being.

„Light Hope?“ Mara‘s voice ended the holograms inner musing.

She opened her eyes and found Mara looking up at her.

„Everything okay?“ the brunette asked.

„Yes.“ Light Hope said. Your scent is very pleasing to my olfactory sensors, she thought. Didn‘t say it. She wasn‘t sure if it was an appropriate thing to say. „Being able to smell is certainly gratifying.“ she said instead.

Mara nodded. 

„I‘m glad you can smell now.“ she said and Light Hope noticed a certain inflection in her voice. Mara sounded proud of her. „So, I guess I will bring you more flowers from now on?“

„Yes. I would like that. Thank you.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Idk if you like this kind of fic, but i had to so /something/ with my Mighthope feelings, haha! I dunno how often I‘ll be able to update, but I try my best!
> 
> Oh and I'm on Twitter btw: @kryptonianfool


	2. hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today: answering the question „but how can you touch a hologram?“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their story continues... This chapter will contain: cuddles! Yaaay!

Mara was lying on her back. Couldn‘t sleep. She thought about her mission, about balancing Etheria, about being She-Ra. Madame Razz had told her about the magic of this place, and Mara had felt it, had seen it, had even touched a magical being, had felt the reality of it all. Magic was surrounding her everywhere she went. She-Ra, a magical being herself, had chosen her as a vessel. In a way, Mara was proud to be chosen, but she was also scared, worried that she wouldn‘t be enough, that she was somehow lacking as She-Ra. There was a giant weight resting on her and it made her feel anxious.

She shook her head, trying to snap out if it, but it didn‘t work. Growing impatient with herself, she peeled the covers from her body and stood up, leaving her room. She wandered through the halls of her ship. The night time lighting was on, casting deep blue shadows across the walls. Mara set one foot in front of the other, completely aimless. She just wanted to get tired so she could finally fall asleep.

Suddenly, a shape appeared beside her. 

„You are up late, Mara. Is there anything I can assist you with?“

Mara looked at the hologram floating beside her. Light Hope was following her, accompanying her on her nightly walk. 

„No, thanks, Hope. I just can‘t sleep.“ 

„I cannot sleep either.“ the hologram told her, probably wanting to relate to her problem and Mara snickered to herself. The hologram continued.

„I can only go in standby mode. Maybe you could say that this is ‚sleeping‘, in a way.“  
Light Hope was silent for a bit, suddenly realizing that she wasn‘t being particularly helpful. She really wanted to help Mara though, so she tried a different approach.

„Why can‘t you sleep?“

„It‘s just…“ Mara started, „...my mind is swirling with all these thoughts and I just can‘t shake them off. The whole being She-Ra thing gets a bit much at times.“

Light Hope thought about her words. „Being She-Ra is a great honor. You were chosen by your people.“

„I know. And I really appreciate that. But I also didn‘t ask for it.“

„‚Didn‘t ask‘...“ Light Hope mused. „I also didn‘t ask to train She-Ra. But it is my purpose. I exist only because of it.“

Mara looked at her sadly. „Yeah we’re kinda in the same boat there, aren’t we?“ Mara sighed. „I guess all I want to say is that being She-Ra can get pretty lonely sometimes.“

„You are not alone. I am here for you whenever you need me.“ Light Hope said in her artificially generated voice, looking at Mara.

„Thanks, Hope. If I could, I would hug you right now.“

Light Hope was taken aback.

„You would want to hug me?“, she repeated, sounding unsure.

Mara nodded and Light Hope couldn‘t help but notice the solemn look that had crept up on her face.

„But that‘s not possible, considering you‘re a hologram, right?“ she said.

„I am a hologram, that is correct. Although that does not necessarily mean that I am unable to hug you.“

„You… aren‘t?“ Mara sounded surprised. „Light Hope, I have the feeling you‘re not telling me something.“

„I accessed my main frame and I discovered that I can regulate the density of my projection, making it possible to become solid.“

Mara‘s mouth was hanging open.

„When did you discover that?“

„4 days, 15 hours and 37 seconds ago.“

„Four whole days?? Hope! Why didn‘t you tell me earlier?“ Mara exclaimed.

„I didn‘t think of it as particularly important.“

„Are you kidding me? Being able to hug my friend is definitely big important news.“

Light Hope‘s lips curled upward in a timid smile. Mara had called her ‚friend‘ again. She had just recently started doing that. Although it was just a word, it meant so much to Light Hope. Every time Mara called her that, it made her happy and proud that she considered her to be a friend. 

Additionally, it caused these warm feelings inside of her. This warmth would pool at her core first, then continue to spread throughout her whole body. Light Hope wasn‘t really sure what it meant yet but she craved this new feeling more than anything else.

„So, are you ready to try it?“ Mara asked, smirking at the hologram.

„Ready to try what?“

„Hugging of course!“

„I would certainly like to try it.“ Light Hope admitted.

Mara chuckled to herself. „Come here, you dense hologram. And I mean dense in every way possible!“

Mara opened her arms and Light Hope reciprocated, opening her own arms as well to make room for the smaller human. Mara circled her arms around her and held her close. Light Hope was surprised by how strong her embrace was and how good it felt. The warmth inside of her was intensifying and the hologram realized that she had the complete irrational wish that this moment would last forever. Light Hope tightened her own arms around her, pulling Mara against her, holding her safely.

„I wanted to do this for a long time.“ Mara murmured into her shoulder. 

„I thought about what it would feel like and I have to say that the reality of it exceeds my expectations.“ Light Hope added.

Mara leaned back, wanting to look at the face of the hologram but keeping her in her light grasp.

„I really like seeing you like this.“

„Like what?“ The hologram wasn‘t sure what the woman meant.

„Unafraid. Curious to explore your own capabilities. First you found a way to smell. And now you found a way to solidify your body. And we can hug now, which is a huge step for our friendship, don‘t you think? I could do this every day.“ 

Mara winked at her. Light Hope wondered if holograms could blush. Because she would certainly be doing that right now if they could.

„I like connecting with you on every way possible.“ Light Hope told her honestly.

„Me too.“ Mara smiled. „I‘m glad to call you my friend, Hope.“, she added and Light Hope smiled in response, feeling very happy in that moment.

Mara extracted herself from her arms, yawning and stretching. Because of her motion, the shirt she wore rode up a little and revealed part of her belly. Light Hope noticed this and watched, her eyes traveling across the olive skin of Mara‘s stomach. She felt the warmth inside her increase and averted her eyes quickly, confused.

„I think I might be able to sleep now.“ Mara broke the awkward silence. „Do you want to accompany on my walk to my room?“ 

Light Hope, glad that Mara had apparently not noticed her staring at her exposed belly, nodded, floating next to Mara.

Side by side, they walked through the corridors until they arrived at the door to Mara‘s quarters. Mara faced the hologram. As if she wanted to make sure she had not imagined it earlier, she tentatively reached out, taking one of Light Hope‘s hands inside her own.

The brunette woman smiled as she caressed the back of the holograms hand, noticing that her holographic skin felt a bit cold to the touch.

„I… erm… umm, it‘s…“ Mara cleared her throat.

Light Hope had never seen her like this and she became a bit worried when she heard her stammering. 

„Mara? Are your vocal processors damaged?“ 

„No, it‘s just…“ she took a deep breath, deciding to just spit it out. „Do you wanna cuddle with me?“

Light Hope looked at her, completely at loss.

„...Cuddle? I... do not know what that means.“ she admitted in a sad voice.

„Ehem… It is… We… We would lie together on my bunk and hug each other?“

„So, it would be like horizontal hugging as opposed to vertical hugging?“ The hologram tilted her head, slowly understanding what the brunette meant. „Yes. I suppose we could do that.“

A big smile spread on Mara‘s face and she opened the door, dragging Light Hope through it, the holograms hand still in hers. She stopped in front of her bed, sitting down first, then laying down on her back. She looked back at the hologram. 

„See? I‘m just laying here. And you can lay down as well, next to me.“

Light Hope nodded. She imitated Mara‘s movements, sitting down on her bed. Mara shuffled behind her. Light Hope looked down at the woman who gestured for her to join her. Slowly, the hologram lowered herself onto the mattress. As soon as her back hit the sheets the other woman inched closer to her, taking her in her arms.

Light Hope held her body still, not wanting to disturb the other woman in her ‚cuddling‘. Mara was snuggled into her side, her hands placed somewhere on her arms, stroking them lightly. Light Hope couldn‘t really feel it, lacking the ability to process touch (for now - she quite enjoyed expanding her abilities lately) but she liked the fact that the woman was close to her, closer than she had ever been before. She turned her head, slowly and carefully, and studied the other woman's face. 

Mara‘s eyes were closed, a faint smile on her lips. She breathed evenly. Light Hope‘s eyes fell on Mara‘s hands, how they caressed her softly.

Tentatively, the hologram moved her own arms, placing one under Mara‘s neck so that she could lie her head on her shoulder more comfortably. She slung the other arm around her front, holding the human body even closer to her own frame. 

Mara opened her eyes at her motion, her smile widening. Suddenly she turned her head a little and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

Light Hope‘s eyes widened, as did Mara‘s and the hologram noticed the brunette‘s cheeks darkening. Mara was blushing furiously, but she made no effort to move, remaining pressed against her side instead, to which Light Hope was grateful for.

Why Mara had done what she did, Light Hope didn‘t know. She knew that kissing was an affectionate gesture, a really affectionate one. But Light Hope found that she didn‘t mind. Not when it was Mara who was affectionate to her.

So she just held her close, not commenting on anything. She ingrained the moment into her memory core, not wanting to ever forget it. Light Hope tightened her hold around Mara and the brunette made a content noise. The hologram noticed how the warmth inside of her was getting stronger and stronger the more she held the other woman. She never wanted to let go, feeling the strong need to protect her.

Mara‘s breathing slowed down and, after a while, she fell asleep in her arms. Light Hope held her protectively until the early morning hours arrived. Not wanting to cause the other woman any embarrassment, she deactivated her projection at precisely 6 a.m., going into standby mode, until Mara would need her presence again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)
> 
> I‘m on twitter! @kryptonianfool


	3. feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light Hope knows something is different than before. But what is it, exactly?

„Thank you for being such a good friend.“

„You look great today. Everything running smoothly?“

„Did I tell you how good it felt to hug you?“

„Umm, do you maybe wanna cuddle with me later?“

„That feels nice.“

„You feel nice.“

„Can you stay with me for a little while?“

„I like holding you in my arms, Hope.“

Light Hope was currently alone in the ship, running some diagnostics and making sure everything was working as it should. Mara was currently away, had been for the last two days. The heroine was gathering more data about the planets magic. Light Hope couldn‘t accompany her, as she was bound to this ship. But even though Mara was not in her immediate vicinity, Light Hope‘s thoughts went back to her again and again. She was unable to stop her thoughts from going back to the brunette, no matter how hard she tried not to think about her.

Lately, the hologram had realized that she cared even more for the human than she had before. It was in her programming to care about Mara, to an extent, but even she knew that this was getting out of hand. Her urge to make sure that everything was alright with the brunette was getting stronger every day. And it wasn‘t just about her well being. It was more than that. 

It was hard to explain.

It felt warm. It felt so, so good.

Light Hope was missing the right words for it.

She didn‘t know if she was supposed to feel this way. If this was normal, or if she was somehow broken. Maybe she should run a diagnostic on herself, scan her system for anything unusual. But she just couldn’t. Light Hope didn‘t want to risk losing this feeling she experienced every time she was around Mara. It felt significant and very personal to her and she couldn‘t simply purge it.

Instead, the hologram replayed bits and pieces of her latest conversations with Mara. Thought about their interactions during the last weeks.

The human had clearly been seeking her company lately. Ever since Light Hope had told her that she could adjust her density, making it possible to hug, the brunette had made a point out of doing so as often as possible. Sometimes, those were quick hugs, only lasting a few seconds, to greet her or to say goodbye to her. But sometimes, Mara lingered, her arms tight around her middle. Light Hope really appreciated these moments. She deliberately hugged her back in these moments, to show her how much she appreciated it.

Then, there were the cuddles. After the first night of cuddling on Mara‘s bed, it didn‘t take long for the brunette to ask her if they could repeat this new form of hugging. Light Hope had agreed to it because, truth be told, she had enjoyed it tremendously. Apparently, so did Mara, because they would now frequently lie together on Mara‘s bed, embracing each other. The human would let her hands wander across her arms, lightly stroking her until she fell asleep and Light Hope would hold her sleeping form until the sun went up again. Sometimes, when Mara was in that state between being awake and falling asleep, she would gently place a kiss on Light Hope‘s skin. The hologram never brought this up. She feared that Mara would stop doing it if she did - and she didn‘t want her to stop.

Mara had also been smiling at her a lot. To be fair, she had always done so. For some reason, Mara had been very friendly with her from the start, which Light Hope was grateful for. Not every organic lifeform she encountered treated her like this. Most of them didn‘t even bother to be friendly to her, only seeing her as a piece of tech. Mara had not been like this. She had always treated her with respect, even though she was a hologram, but she had never treated her like one. 

Instead Mara had always smiled at her, had always been friendly, but her smiles had somehow changed now. Light Hope couldn‘t really pinpoint it, but something was different. Sometimes, the hologram would do something, standing her back to Mara, then she would turn around and find the brunette looking at her with this special kind of smile on her lips. Whenever Mara realized that Light Hope had noticed her staring, she would blush and start a conversation about something random right away. It irritated the hologram, because she could feel that something was up, but she didn‘t know what, exactly.

The hologram interrupted her current task and opened up a holographic interface. She didn‘t have to use her hands to type in what she was looking for, instead she re-routed her thoughts so that the words appeared on screen.

„Blushes, hugs, cuddles, smiles.“

The hologram sent off her search query. She got her answer a second later.

„Infatuation.“

Light Hope absorbed all of the data that was available. Was that the answer to what had happened to Mara? Was she somehow… infatuated with her? 

But she was… just a hologram. Although. Light Hope herself wasn‘t sure if it was as simple as that. She was also feeling different than usual. The more she read, the more her symptoms made sense. Her feelings when she could be around Mara. How her thoughts constantly revolved around what the other woman was doing. How she wanted to see Mara happy. How she didn‘t want to run any diagnostic on herself in fear of losing her feelings for the human.

Light Hope had to face reality. Even though she never thought that it would be possible. No one could have predicted this. 

Somehow… she had evolved. Light Hope could sense that her programming had diverted from her original purpose. Somehow, she had feelings now. Complex feelings. Strong feelings.

Feelings of love.

For Mara.

She was falling in love with Mara and, she strongly suspected, the brunette was also falling for her.

The hologram had no idea what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, leaving kudos and even commenting! <3 I hope you enjoyed this rather short chapter. 
> 
> Btw, how would you feel if this fic got a higher bc of... you know? Would you like that/not like it?
> 
> Have a nice last day of Pride you all! :)


	4. old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara confesses to her oldest friend, rebel squadron member Serenia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I once read a tweet mentioning a possible Mara/Serenia relationship and I quite liked the idea. So what if Serenia is an old friend and also Mara‘s friend with benefits?
> 
> Don’t worry, Mara/Light Hope will still be the main focus of this fic. They are my otp after all ;)

Mara sat up in bed, dropping her head into her palms. She looked at the woman sleeping next to her. Serenia. A member of her rebel squadron and a really good friend. Her oldest friend actually. Sometimes, her lover. Mara wouldn‘t call it a relationship, at least not in the emotional sense, but they were sharing a bed from time to time. They were both young, they were risking their lives by being secret collaborators on the daily. And sometimes, they simply had needs. 

So when Mara had visited the hidden rebel camp yesterday, she had asked Serenia if they could share the bed inside her tent. Mara had been feeling anxious, a common occurrence lately and she hoped that she could clear her head by spending some ‚special’ time with her friend.

And Mara had enjoyed their time together. It had been a while, after all. They didn‘t see each other frequently and when they did, they did not always had the time for intimacy. Nor did they crave it. After all, it was just a casual thing. Both were happy with their arrangement.

The sex had been good. Great, even. But Mara had been quite absent minded the entire time. She had hoped that by sleeping with Serenia she would be able to calm her racing thoughts. But it had only helped to an extent. Yes, focusing her attention on another person, on another body, had given her the opportunity to relax a bit. But every now and then, she was being reminded of the blue-purplish form of the hologram. Light Hope. Which had left her feeling embarrassed, because she usually wasn‘t the kind of person who kept thinking about other women while sleeping with one.

She let out a sigh, her eyes wandering across the naked form of a sleeping Serenia. Serenia was objectively a very attractive woman. Black, long hair, tan skin, muscular arms. Mara appreciated all of that. On top of that, Serenia was caring and could even be funny at times. Mara extended a hand, her fingers stroking lightly across the shoulder of the other woman. She felt warm. Which wasn’t really a surprise, because, well, Serenia was a regular, breathing, living human being. An ‚organic life form‘. The same as her. But why was it that she couldn‘t help herself but think about a certain hologram then? Hope was very different. From her, from everyone she had ever been with in her life and still...

Mara knew that sleep would be elusive tonight, so she tried getting up as silently as possible, not wanting to disturb the sleeping woman beside her. 

„Wait… where are you going, Mara?“ Serenia mumbled into her pillow. Damn it. This woman had probably the lightest sleep in the whole rebellion.

„Just wanted to get something to drink.“ Mara answered, hoping that Serenia would just go back to sleep, but the other woman had already started rubbing her eyes, moving into a sitting position.

„Are you unable to sleep?“ she asked, looking at her.

Serenia had always been way too perceptive for her own good.

Mara rubbed her neck.

„Well…“

„You wanna talk about it?“

Mara averted her gaze and shook her head.

„No, it‘s fine.“

Serenia wasn‘t convinced. At all.

„Are you sure about that? Because from my perspective, it looked like something was bothering you since you arrived here at camp.“

Mara looked back at her, another sigh leaving her mouth.

„See, I know something is up with you. I have the feeling that your thoughts were somewhere else the whole evening.“

„Am I really that easy to read?“ Mara asked her.

„At least to me.“ Serenia shrugged. „But I‘ve known you since before you were chosen as She-Ra, so…“

„Yeah…“ Mara agreed, thinking back to the time where she had felt invincible, curious about what life would hold in store for her.

„It‘s about a girl, right?“ Mara‘s eyes widened.

„How…?“ she asked.

„I‘ve seen you having crushes before. This is similar. Except, it seems a bit more intense. Normally you try talking to me about them, not just screwing with me, hoping you‘ll forget.“

„That‘s not what I had in mind!“

„Really, though?“ Mara felt guilt wash over her as she dropped her head. Serenia knew her too well.

„Hey, don‘t worry about it, Mara. We all deal with things in different ways. And I get it. Feelings can be scary. So, who is the lucky gal?“

Mara lifted her head slowly, searching Serenia‘s face. She had not admitted this to anyone yet.

„Please, don‘t judge me. Or worse, laugh.“

Serenia narrowed her eyes.

„I won‘t. But I‘ll admit that I‘m confused.“

Mara took a breath.

„It is Light Hope.“

Serenia looked at her, her eyes still narrowed. Then, slow realization dawned on her face.

„Light Hope as in the… hologram? The one on your ship?“

Mara blushed, feeling exposed. She quickly looked away.

„No, no, Mara, it‘s alright. I was just surprised, is all.“ she reassured her, placing a hand on Mara‘s arm. „But it makes sense. You tend to talk about her quite a bit.“

Mara looked back at Serenia. „I do?“

Serenia let out a little laugh. 

„Oh you sure do. ‚Serenia, you should see how far she‘s come‘, ‚She can even smell now, she updated herself with olfactory sensors after I brought her flowers‘. Wait…“ Serenia paused, a wide grin appearing on her face. „Now that I think about it… you brought her flowers? How long has this thing between you and your hologram been going on, Mara?“

Mara‘s blush deepened, but she grinned back at her friend.

„Back then I was just trying to be friendly. But then Hope began changing her programming. First, it was her sense of smell. She couldn’t smell before, so she just updated herself. Without me asking for it. She wanted to be able to smell, so she could fully appreciate the flowers I brought. I dunno, but it felt huge to me. Holograms don‘t usually do things like this.“ 

Mara paused, looking over to Serenia, feeling a bit self-conscious all of a sudden.

„I agree.“ Serenia stated and Mara felt reassured to continue.

„Then, she told me she could now regulate her density, so we could hug. And… we did. And it felt good. And then I asked her if we could cuddle.“

„Excuse me, what, girl?“

„It was just cuddles.“ Mara said, raising her hands up defensively.

„Yeah, I know, but cuddles with a hologram.“

„I don‘t see her like that.“ Mara admitted quietly. „She may be a hologram, but that‘s not the only thing she is.“

Serenia was quiet for a second. „I‘m sorry, I didn‘t mean it that way.“

Mara cast a weak smile at her. „I know. It‘s just, I have the same doubts. Even though I don‘t see her as just a hologram, she still is one. Why did it have to be her?“

„Are you really asking me that?“ Serenia raised her eyebrows. „We cannot choose who we fall in love with, Mara. You know that.“

Mara felt tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

„But is she even capable of love?“

Serenia was quiet for a bit, thinking about Mara‘s question.

„I don’t know, but maybe try looking at it this way: just because she‘s a hologram doesn‘t mean she isn't able to love someone. I know that some organic life forms are definitely not capable of loving someone. Yes, I‘m speaking from experience.“ Serenia drew in a deep breath. „And no, don‘t say her name, we don‘t speak about that bitch anymore.“

Mara smiled at her weakly.

„I guess I‘m just worried. I‘ve never been with an artificial intelligence before.“

Serenia let out a chuckle.

„Sorry.“ she said, raising her hands. „I guess I‘ll still have to get used to this. It‘s not every day that my friend is dating an ‚artifical intelligence‘.“

„We‘re not dating!“ Mara said, lightly shoving at Serenia.

„Do you want to?“

The question caught Mara off guard. She hadn‘t really thought about it yet.

She thought about Hope. About how she was so very attentive with her. About how she always made sure that she was happy. She had even started learning some jokes lately to improve her mood when she was feeling sad. She thought about how she frequently held her until she would fall asleep in her arms. How she looked at her when she felt unobserved. How she felt so smooth under her touch when she was running her hands across her holographic skin.

„I know that I like her. A lot. And I like spending time with her. I don‘t know if we even can date but if there is a way, I would like to, yes.“

Serenia put one hand on her shoulder, looking at her with determination.

„I can‘t really recommend you anything because this whole hologram dating is a bit of a new trend…“ she winked at her. „But, just know that I fully support you and wish you the best of luck in seducing Light Hope. Oh and I‘ll also be there for you if you ever need to vent or anything.“

„Thank you.“ Mara said to her, relieved. „That means a lot.“

Serenia just smiled.

„Will you tell her about the rebellion?“

„It‘s probably too big of a risk. She‘s still connected with the First Ones. They don‘t usually do this, but they can scan her memory if they think it‘s necessary.“

„Maybe you should cut her off.“

Mara glanced at Serenia.

„You don‘t want them to find out about your little affair, do you?“

„Again, we‘re not having an affair.“

„Yet.“

Serenia had a point, Mara knew that. The brunette tilted her head, pressing her lips together.

„I will think about it.“

„Good. Now come back under the covers, it‘s getting cold and it‘s still a few hours until sunrise.“

„I don‘t think I‘ll be able to sleep tonight.“ Mara admitted.

„Well, then just think about your Light Hope.“ A short pause. „Just don’t secretly masturbate under the covers while I‘m sleeping next to you.“

Mara laughed out loud at that, swatting at Serenia and huddling close to her under the sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn‘t sure if I should include this „relationship“ into the story, but it felt like an interesting take. And at least Mara has someone to talk about her feelings now. Because we all know that Hope is not the most experienced regarding feelings and such :D
> 
> Thank you for reading and sticking around! Hope you enjoyed! :)


	5. whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little slip-up has unexpected consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I‘m sorry I took so long, but I wanted this to be as good as possible! Hope you enjoy! Btw, this is the point where I should tell you that I‘ve decided to up the rating. I think that their intimate scenes are part of their relationship and I didn‘t want to make a separate fic for them, so they will be incorporated into the fic.
> 
> Have fun!

„… ahhh. Light Hope.“

Fuck. No.

This had been a total slip-up. She hadn‘t meant to say it. Not out loud. But then it had spilled from her lips, into the open. And once it left her lips, it was there, and she was unable to take it back. Mara wasn‘t particularly proud of herself in that moment.

It had been nothing more than just a whisper, unthinkingly said in the heat of the moment, her clit trapped between two of her fingers, her mind focused on blue skin, on broad shoulders and a - oh so narrow - waist. But a whisper was more than enough. It was the same as if she would have shouted it from the top of her lungs. The damage was done.

As soon as she realized what she had done, what would happen soon, she sprung into action. She pulled one hand out of her shorts, straightening the front of her night shirt with the other one. Hastily, she reached for the sheets and tried to cover the lower half of her body as the purplish-blue form of the hologram materialized inside her room. Reliable as ever.

„Administrator.“ she said, professionally. „Mara.“ she added, in a caring inflection that she had started to use lately when she addressed Mara. „How may I assist you?“

Mara was frozen in place. She was still flushed and kinda sweaty, her bangs plastered to her forehead. She tried to slow down her heavy breathing but didn‘t quite succeed.

„Mara. Are you alright?“ Light Hope took a step towards her, studying her intently, a frown appearing on her face. „Why is your body covered with perspiration? Is there a defect with the temperature regulation in this room?“ Mara couldn‘t answer, afraid that her voice would betray her in the same way her body did right now.

„Why is your respiratory rate increased? Is there a failure within the life support system that I didn‘t recognize?“ Light Hope‘s icy blue eyes grew distant. „//Initiating ship wide system scan//.“

„No, Hope, it‘s alright, everything is fine with the ship.“ Mara reassured her, canceling Light Hope‘s scan. Mara was glad that her voice sounded very close to normal and only a tiny bit hoarse.

Light Hope floated into her direction, bringing her closer to where Mara was sitting on her bed.

„Your face. It has darkened considerably. I noticed that you’re frequently blushing around me, but never this much.“

„I‘m blushing around you??“ Did she really? Well, apparently she did. Of course she did. 

„You do.“ Light Hope simply stated, as if it was a well-known fact that everyone knew. „Have you fallen ill? Do you require medication?“ 

Mara shook her head. 

„Why did you call me then?“

It didn‘t seem like Light Hope would let it slide easily.

„I didn‘t mean to.“

„You requested my presence by accident?“

„Something like that.“

„I do not understand.“

„It just happened.“ Mara shrugged. She was a bad liar.

Light Hope came a bit closer and sat down on the bed, turning her head, looking at Mara, considering her intently. Mara‘s blush deepened under the holograms intense gaze. Light Hope was now within touching distance and their closeness was urging Mara to touch her. She nearly did just that, but she could stop herself in time.

„You seem to be in distress. Your heart rate is elevated, your respiration and body heat has increased, you are sweating and my scans show that a lot of blood is rushing to the area between your legs, accumulating in your…“ 

Suddenly (thankfully?) the hologram stopped talking and instead looked at Mara with wide eyes. She then quickly averted her gaze, getting up from the bed and turning to leave.

„Hope, wait!“

„I‘m sorry, Mara, I should have realized sooner. I didn‘t want to intrude in such an intimate moment.“

„Look, I said your name because I was thinking about you, Light Hope.“

Light Hope immediately stopped in her tracks.

Mara looked down at her feet.

„I‘m sorry, Hope, I didn‘t want you to find out this way.“ Mara‘s cheeks were burning from all the blood that had been rushing to them. This was definitely not how she had planned to tell Light Hope about her feelings, but here she was. There was no point in denying it anymore and Light Hope had a right to know what was going on. The AI was her friend after all. Even if the hologram would never return her feelings, she had to come clean to her. Light Hope deserved as much. 

Mara took a deep breath. „Truth is, I think about you all the time. And I just can’t stop. At first, I hoped it would go away, but that didn‘t work. I tried distracting myself, but that didn‘t work either. I… I really like you, Hope. Like, really, REALLY like you.“ 

She sighed. „You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know because it involves you and I owe you as much. Please know that I don‘t want to impose myself on you. I just think that you deserve an explanation for my behavior lately. Because we‘re friends, after all.“

Light Hope had been frozen to the spot, not moving an inch the entire time Mara had been talking.

„You like me?“ she finally asked, quietly.

„I do.“ Mara said, nodding her head, even though Light Hope couldn‘t see it.

„Were you thinking about me when you were… doing what you did earlier?“

Mara dropped her head. „Yeah. I didn‘t mean for you to notice that. I‘m really sorry.“

Suddenly, the brunette felt the soft pressure of a hand dropping onto her shoulder. Mara turned her face upwards to find Light Hope standing right next to her, studying her, an unreadable expression on her face.

„Do not be sorry, Mara. It prides me that you were able to reach this level of arousal just by projecting my image inside your mind.“

Mara found herself unable to say anything. Once again, she was blushing in the deepest shade, feeling embarrassed about herself but at the same time, she felt her arousal flaring up again as she heard Light Hope talking this way. 

„I should remind you that nothing of this is in my programming. I do not know how to proceed properly.“

Mara furrowed her brows. 

„What do you mean?“

„I want to bring you to that same state of arousal again.“

Mara‘s breath hitched, her mouth opening and closing a few times.

„I… ehh.. you don‘t have to do that… I‘m not pressuring you to do anything. Especially not things… like… like that.“ she stuttered.

„No.“ Light Hope replied, shaking her head and lightly squeezing Mara‘s shoulder with her fingers.

„Believe me when I say that I‘m not doing this under any kind of pressure. Maybe I should clarify.“ Light Hope sat down on the bed again, taking Mara‘s hands in hers. „I have also been unable to take my mind off of you. I feel happy when you are near me, when you are visiting me.“ She let her thumb graze over the back of Mara’s hand. „I like hearing your voice, the sound of your laugh, I like listening to your breathing when you are asleep. I like holding you. Hugging you. I like how your body fits against mine.“ Mara was staring at the hologram, beginning to feel overwhelmed by everything she said. Light Hope returned her feelings? „Please know that I do not feel offended by your self stimulation to my image. I can‘t explain it, but I feel flattered by it.“ She paused. „If you approve, I can assist you with this kind of stimulation.“

Mara was watching the hologram wide-eyed. She had certainly not anticipated /this/. But, as embarrassed as she felt by the whole situation, she also couldn‘t deny that she was /turned on/. She extracted her hands from Light Hope‘s and brought one of them up to the holograms face. Wordlessly, Light Hope leaned her cheek against Mara‘s palm and the brunette cradled the side of her head, stroking her thumb softly across the cool skin.

„Are you sure, Hope? Is this really what you want?“

„Yes Mara. I want to serve you in any way possible.“

„Why?“ Mara had to be sure, had to get full consent for this. She knew that Light Hope was inexperienced, to say the least, and she wouldn‘t take advantage of her friend. 

„The exact reason of my feelings for you is unknown. I cannot tell you if it is a defect in my programming or if my programming has evolved. Honestly, I do not mind. Since I have been activated for the first time, I have never felt something that felt like this. I have no experience with these kinds of feelings, so naturally I have very limited data in this area. But I am sure that I want to be close to you.“ Light Hope paused, looking Mara into the eye. She noticed that the usual grey of her eyes had nearly vanished completely, swallowed by the blackness of her dilated pupils. 

„I am also sure that I want to stimulate you, that I want to flush your entire system with pleasure. I want to hear you say my name again, the way you said it earlier.“

Mara let out a tiny whimper at that, surprising herself. She was really turned on right now.

„Come here.“ Mara said, gesturing for the hologram to take a seat behind her. Light Hope complied, sitting down behind the brunette, spreading her legs so that the woman was seated right in between. Mare leaned her back against Light Hope‘s front and Light Hope instinctively wrapped her arms around the smaller woman.

Mara turned her head, placing a light kiss on the hologram‘s shoulder.

„Let me guide you.“

She gently took one of Light Hope‘s hands in hers. She lifted it up to her face and pressed a kiss against it. Light Hope watched her, fascinated. She still didn‘t really understand the purpose of pressing one‘s lips against something, but she had to admit that it was a pretty sight. 

Mara guided the holograms hand lower down her body. Light Hope could feel the breathing of the other woman increase, her heartbeat picking up with anticipation. She stopped at her chest. With the help of her own, she placed the holograms hand on one of her breasts, above the fabric of her night shirt.

„Just keep your hand here. You can caress me here, if you want. Stroke me, squeeze me, just try something and see how I react. You should start out slow and careful, it‘s a sensitive area of my body.“ Mara felt a bit weird, giving out explanations like this, but she guessed that the hologram could actually need some advice. Maybe Hope had read up some of the general definitions of sex before, but Mara knew how basic these sex educations tended to be. She wanted this to be as good as possible for both of them and she was just making sure that Light Hope had some sort of guidance, so that she would know what to do. 

Thankfully, the hologram didn‘t seem to be offended by her explanation. Experimentally, she squeezed Mara‘s breast, lightly, so very lightly. But even then, Mara arched into her hand, sighing out into the air. Light Hope increased the intensity, intrigued by Mara‘s reaction, earning a quiet noise. Light Hope looked down at her hand cupping Mara‘s breast. She liked how it looked. The hologram lifted it slightly and noticed how Mara made a protesting noise, chasing after her hand. She also noticed a little nub poking against the fabric. Curious, Light Hope proceeded to touch it with her fingertip. This resulted in another noise, louder this time. The hologram took this as a sign that this kind of touch was approved and she pressed her finger against the nub a second time, slowly circling it. Mara let out a gasp, pressing herself against her fingers. Light Hope watched her, squirming in her lap.

„Can I use my other hand as well?“ the hologram asked.

„By all means, please do so.“ Mara answered promptly, already rather breathless.

Light Hope raised her other hand, gently grabbing her other breast. Now, both her palms were filled by Mara‘s breasts. She had beautiful ones, Light Hope decided. She noticed the other nub, or nipple, as it was called, appearing under the fabric. Light Hope had accessed the databank of the ship beforehand to gain knowledge of basic female human anatomy, just for research of course. It was a pleasant side effect that she was now able to navigate the woman‘s body rather smoothly. She knew that nipples were considered an erogenous area and she wanted to see what kind of effect stimulation would have on them. Testingly, the hologram let both her thumbs rub over the hardened nipples, lightly squeezing them between two fingers. Mara‘s breath hitched.

„You‘re really good at this.“

Light Hope had big hands. Like, BIG hands. Of course, Mara had noticed that. Had actually noticed a couple weeks ago and since then, she had found herself staring mindlessly at the massive hands whenever she could. The brunette was now very pleased with both of these hands placed on her and she couldn‘t help but notice how they covered her breasts completely, which was impressive, considering that Mara was on the larger side when it came to size.

Light Hope didn‘t answer, just gave her breasts another squeeze and Mara moaned. Below, her hips jerked against nothingness.

Light Hope‘s eyes widened, witnessing this. Mara‘s body temperature was high, her heart beating erratically, the ship sensors told her as much. A huge amount of blood kept rushing to the area between her legs. Light Hope knew where the blood would accumulate. 

The hologram kept fondling Mara’s breasts as she saw the other woman lowering one of her own hands, bringing it between her legs. She wormed her hand inside her shorts, cupped herself and let out a sigh. Light Hope knew that she was doing this to create some kind of friction against her most sensitive are. It was a beautiful sight, seeing Mara touch herself. The hologram could see her fingers moving beneath the fabric of her shorts. But although watching this scene unfold was very stimulating, even to her, she felt a sudden urge to replace Mara’s hand with her own. 

„Mara.“ she said, whispered, really, beside her head. Mara‘s head was thrown back against her shoulder, her eyes closed, little breaths leaving her open mouth.

„Yes?“ she said, her voice coming out hoarse.

„I want to touch you intimately. May I?“ 

Mara froze, her eyes flying open.

„You… may.“ said, turning her head to lock eyes with Light Hope. Slowly, she extracted her hand from her shorts. Light Hope teared her eyes away from Mara‘s to look at her freed hand. It was glistening slightly. The brunette wiped it on the covers. She then reached for Light Hope‘s hand and guided it lower and lower on her front. She tenderly stroked across the back of her hand as she finally placed it at the hem of her shorts. Light Hope let her fingers dip inside experimentally, and Mara drew in a breath.

„This garment is obstructing my sight. Can you remove it?“ Light Hope asked. Her body still had a rather rudimentary ability to feel. It was very dull, as if she was being touched through a thick layer of cloth. Seeing what she was doing to Mara though, it provided her some sort of stimulation as well. „It will get difficult to navigate when I cannot see what I am doing.“

Mara nodded her head vigorously, her hands shoving at her shorts excitedly, shrugging them off.

Light Hope was fascinated by the sight that was presented to her. Her hand moved in between Mara‘s legs quickly, lightly brushing against her center, closely watching Mara‘s reaction to it. Mara had her eyes closed again and one of her hand was now placed on Light Hope‘s thigh, grabbing her tightly, anchoring herself.

Light Hope proceeded to cup her. She spread her fingers and let them travel through Mara‘s folds, exploring her. She was completely overwhelmed by Mara‘s responses to her touch. The woman was pressing back against her front, both hands now placed on her thighs, her knuckles white from grabbing onto them. Her breathing was accelerating with every passing minute and her hips had begun a delicious grind against her hand.

The hologram regarded her hand, noticing how it was covered in Mara‘s essence. Light Hope drew in a breath, remembering that her olfactory sensors made it possible to smell. Mara‘s scent filled the air. It was intoxicating.

As the hologram brushed over something hard with her middle finger, Mara twitched in her lap, one of her hands covering Light Hope‘s keeping her in place.

„Yes. There. Keep doing this.“ she said, her hand staying in place on top of Light Hope‘s. With Mara‘s instruction and guidance, the hologram touched her, letting her fingers swirl over and around her clit. Mara made sure to help her with her own hands, letting her know how to touch her and what kind of pressure to use. Light Hope was captivated, unable to tear her eyes off of their hands in between her Mara‘s legs, stroking her most intimate area. It was a magnificent sight. Their fingers mingled as they moved in unison. Mara was gasping and her hips were thrusting forward desperately, in search of an increase of pressure. Light Hope was filled with warmth and pride for causing this kind of reaction. 

Light Hope suddenly remembered the hand which was still covering one of Mara‘s breasts. She squeezed it again, seeing Mara arch into her, her hips jerking. She let her thumb rub across the hard little nipple, then pinching it between two fingers. Mara drew in a breath and Light Hope noticed how her hips were picking up in their thrusting. The hand covering her‘s was pressing tightly down against her center. Light Hope leaned forward, her mouth close to Mara‘s ear.

„You should know that this sight is very provocative.“

„Provocative how?“ Mara shot back, panting quite heavily now. Light Hope was surprised that she was still able to answer at all. She sounded very out of breath.

„The visual you’re offering me. It is miraculous. It is intimidating. Electrifying.“ She paused, her voice lowering to a whisper. „You are so beautiful, Mara.“

Suddenly, everything shifted. Mara made a high-pitched noise, her hips staggering forward, the hands on her thighs clutching at her.

„Hope, don‘t stop.“

Light Hope stared at the wonder that was Mara. She didn‘t how what was happening, exactly, but she knew that she should follow Mara‘s advice and so she continued the movement of her hand, messy now that Mara was shuddering against her, watching, as the brunette fell apart in front of her eyes. It was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

Mara‘s hand was stilling her after a while and the woman turned her head, looking back at her.

„Wow. That was…“ 

„I hope it was adequate.“

Mara chuckled, turning in her embrace so that she was facing the hologram, her hands loosely wrapped around Light Hope‘s waist.

„That was more than adequate, Hope. It was everything.“

Light Hope tilted her head, her brows slightly furrowed.

„Everything? Is that… good?“

„It is very good. The best.“ Mara replied, smiling at her. Light Hope felt her smile inside of her. Interesting, what effect a simple smile could have on her. 

„In that case, I am glad. For that was my intention. I want you to feel good.“

„Thank you Hope. I‘m lucky to have you.“

„I‘ll be here whenever you need me. Even if you have a rather intimate need.“ She paused. „Especially if you have a rather intimate need.“

„I‘ve created a monster.“ Mara jokingly said.

„I‘m not a monster, I am a hologram.“ Light Hope replied instantly, not the best in understanding her jokes.

Mara let out a little laugh, a sound which Light Hope enjoyed tremendously and seized the hologram up in a tight embrace, burying her face inside her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t get much feedback regarding the last chapter with Serenia. Be assured that she won‘t play a big part in the story. I just wanted Mara to have a past outside of her being She-Ra and all. 
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter! Have a nice day :)


	6. cut loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their morning after is filled with bliss... and some revelations.

She held her tight to her chest, her arms loosely wrapped around her form. She listened in to hear her breathing. It was even. Her eyes were closed, creating a picture of great serenity.

Light Hope brought her hand to Mara‘s head, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She looked so peaceful. And oh so beautiful. She longed to touch her. But she didn‘t. She didn‘t want to wake her. Instead, she just watched. She looked up and down her body, which was partly obscured by the covers that were wrapped around her, although some parts were very visible. Some very attractive parts.

The hologram could still smell the faint trace of arousal in the air. The dried sweat and… other bodily fluids. The activities of last night came to mind. Light Hope was still feeling overwhelmed by the experience, which had been absolutely unexpected for her. She had never thought that someone would want her like that. She was not originally made for this purpose, but somehow, Mara had still enjoyed it. Had craved it, even. Light Hope smiled to herself. Mara truly was special.

Suddenly, the lighting inside the room changed, it‘s brightness slowly increasing, simulating a sunrise. It was morning. A soft alarm went off. Mara‘s eyelids fluttered open, a small tired groan coming from her mouth. She proceeded to lazily rub her eyes. Light Hope thought it looked adorable.

With slightly unfocused eyes, she looked up at Light Hope, relief written all over her face.

„You’re still here.“ she stated.

„I wanted to be here when you wake up.“ the hologram admitted.

„That‘s really cute.“ Mara said, a smile playing on her lips. „It’s progress from you deactivating your projection shortly before it is time for me to get up.“

„You realized what I was doing?“ Light Hope thought she had been secretive about holding Mara through the night and then vanishing just before sunrise.

„Sometimes, I wake up before I have to, so yeah, I knew. But I decided to not let you know in that moments. I didn’t want to scare you away. I thought that you were holding me out of your sense of duty.“

„It wasn‘t my sense of duty.“ Light Hope said, smiling down at the woman in her arms.

„I know that now.“ Mara smiled back at her, the smile reaching her eyes. She was so beautiful. Light Hope stored this sight into her memory. She never wanted to forget how Mara looked in that exact moment.

Mara craned her neck to press a soft kiss against Light Hope‘s throat, humming against her skin. The hologram exposed her neck more, wanting to give the brunette better access. This kissing was still a foreign concept to her, but she liked it when Mara pressed her lips against her. She had also read that kissing held a certain significance in romantic relationships. Light Hope liked the fact that Mara’s kisses accentuated the fact that their relationship had now (finally) evolved from a friendly to a romantic kind. 

But Mara didn‘t escalate her kissing, but instead sat up in the bed.

„I have to talk to you about something.“ The brunette said, looking down in her lap, playing with her fingers.

„I think you are already aware of it, but your memories are linked to the main computer back at Eternia.“ She took a breath. „I know that it‘s mostly for safety reasons and they are not actively monitoring you, but I also know that my people can do so whenever they want.“

„So, you want me to cut my connection to the main computer?“

Mara‘s lifted her head, her grey eyes connecting with blue ones. 

„It is possible, right?“ she asked. The hologram detected the hopeful way in which the question was spoken.

Light Hope nodded. „Theoretically, yes. I could create a program that would give the impression that the connection is still untouched. That would keep the First One‘s satisfied.“

Mara stared at her, her brows slightly furrowed, realization dawning on her face.

„You‘ve already thought about this, haven‘t you?“

„I have.“

Mara wasn‘t exactly surprised. She had always known that Light Hope was more than just a hologram, more than her programming. Mara had felt the AI evolve ever since she met her for the first time. But still, she didn‘t think that the hologram had already thought about cutting off her connection.

„Mara. I know what the First One‘s are doing to the planet.“

Mara‘s eyebrows shot upwards. 

„What?“ she asked incredulously.

„I know that they are mining the planets magic, storing it inside. I know that they plan on building a weapon with it, using the magic. It is called the ‚Heart of Etheria‘“.

„Shhhh.“ Mara whispered, looking around as if someone could have been eavesdropping.

„Do not be concerned. I have overridden all communications. This room cannot be monitored.“ She paused. „And yes, the override is in place since yesterday, before you showed me how to touch you. I didn‘t want to take any chance of someone listening in, violating your privacy. I take safety protocols very seriously.“

Mara nodded slowly, blushing a little at the reminder of what they had been doing a couple hours ago. Why hadn‘t she thought of deactivating the communications? Well, truth is, she /was/ pretty horny at the time.

„Thank you, Hope. Good thinking.“

„Mara.“ The hologram reached for her hand, taking it, her thumb brushing across the backside. „They do not want you to know these things. I only knew them because I was tracing my connection back to the main frame back home. I felt that something was wrong. They tried implementing my system with something. Some kind of programme, a switch really, intended to bypass my personality profile. As soon as they began installing it, I shielded my system from these new implementations. The shield will ensure that they can‘t bypass me at the moment, should they try to activate the Heart. But as soon as they activate the weapon, and they realize that something is stopping them from taking control of me, they will access my system through the connection, overriding me.“ Light Hope‘s eyes left Mara‘s as she looked at the ground shamefully. „I fear this happening every day. That they will use me to harm you, somehow.“ 

Light Hope brought Mara‘s hand up to her mouth, watching it closely. Testingly, she pressed her lips against it lightly, kissing it. Mara was looking at her with tears in the corners of her eyes, touched by this display of tenderness. The hologram continued.

„You are a part of their weapon Mara. And I am part of the security protocol that has to make sure that the weapon gets activated. With or without your consent. With or without mine.“

The hologram looked away. She was embarrassed that a third party was able to use her like that. To use her against her own will, against… Mara.

„Help me to sever my connection to the main computer.“

„Of course I‘ll help you.“ Mara said, holding eye contact, a look of sheer determination on her face.

Mara wanted to tell her that she was part of a group of rebels. She wanted to confess to her, that she knew all of that, that she was aware of what the First One‘s were doing to the planet. She didn‘t know that they were already preparing to take over her hologram as well. Mara couldn‘t tell Light Hope yet. She was still connected and she couldn‘t risk revealing the Grayskull squadron. She would tell her though, after all of this was over, after they had separated her from the control of the First One‘s. 

Light Hope looked back at her, reciprocating the determination on Mara‘s face.

„I am ready, Mara.“

„Let’s do it.“ Mara said. She paused, grinning. „I need to get dressed first, though.“ she said, gesturing down her naked body. „But as soon as I‘m finished, we‘ll cut the First One‘s off.“ She squeezed Light Hope’s hand. 

„They won‘t get a chance to access you, not when I‘m there to prevent it.“

—-

In the end, it went over quickly. Light Hope had already written a fake version of herself, basically a clone of her own programming, which would make sure that the First One‘s would not grow suspicious. If they would access the connection to Light Hope, all would seem normal, as if the hologram was working just as intended. Her memory folder would be separated into two partitions. One half, she would share with the First One‘s, creating the impression that she was still the original Light Hope AI. But the second part… This would be the place where she would store her more intimate memories. Every touch, every hug, every kiss. Every night she would share with Mara. Every whisper, shared when they were lying in bed, wrapped around each other. That would stay just between the two of them. 

The First One‘s couldn‘t prevent their relationship from happening and they would never find out about it either.

—-

After it was done, they had seized each other up in a hug, desperate for the physical connection. Mara had nuzzled into the side of Light Hope’s neck, her arms circled around her mid, holding her body close to hers. Light Hope had hugged her back tightly.

It was done. Her connection had been severed. The clone programme was in place. Of course, she still had access to the databanks, to the ship, to everything basically. Regarding her daily functionality, not much had changed, really. But one important thing was gone now: the First One‘s ability to access and override her personality profile and their access to her hidden memory folder. Light Hope realized that this made her feel free in a way. She couldn‘t be monitored anymore, making her thoughts and memories her own. She finally felt like her own person.

Shortly after, Mara had told her everything about the rebellion. About her squadron, the Grayskulls. How she had realized what her people were really doing to the planet. And how she and her squadron planned to sabotage them.

Light Hope was proud. Of course Mara had known about the First One‘s plans. She was very bright after all. The First One‘s would get what they deserved, in the end.

When Mara had finished telling her everything, she had looked at Light Hope expectantly. The hologram held her gaze, her hand reaching out to caress her cheek tenderly.

„I will aid the rebellion with everything I have. I would be honored to assist not only you, but also the Grayskull squadron.“

Mara had kissed her, then.

The warmth she felt in that moment stayed with her through the entire day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading & I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Light Hope is free at last! Yay!
> 
> Btw, in case you have wondered, my other Mara / Light Hope stories do also fit in this universe. I will add them to a collection soon. Basically my smut fics take place in between the chapters of this fic (starting with ‚You show the lights that stop me turn to stone‘, which takes place somewhat after this chapter).
> 
> Thank you for sticking around! Have a nice day :)


	7. learning to love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara is feeling a lot of feelings about her hologram.

Mara looked over to Light Hope, who was leaning over a console, completely engrossed in her work. They were tracking First One‘s movements at the moment, gathering every bit of information they could find about their plans. It seemed like they were getting closer to activating the weapon, but the rebels still had not figured out how it worked exactly and, even more important, how to stop it. She hoped that when they would figure it out eventually, that there would still be enough time left.

Lucky for them, her people had not realized yet that Light Hope was operating on her own, without any chance for them to override her. The fact that the hologram was now on the rebels side could really be making a difference. Mara hoped it would be enough.

She studied the face of the hologram. Her brows were drawn together, her eyes narrowed. She was completely focused on her work. Mara loved the dedication with which Light Hope was approaching her new role.

Love. As much as she thought it was just a stereotype, she felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she looked at Light Hope. It didn‘t even make a difference that they were currently literally trying to save the world. She just felt so happy in her vicinity, drawn to her, wanting her practically all the time. It was a bit worrying, honestly. 

Mara had always loved her independence. She never really committed to any girl she had liked. Even with Serenia, it had always remained casual. No strings attached. Just have fun together, and go on with life. Mara had liked it that way, had never missed anything. She was just made to be on her own at the end of the day. 

At least she thought so until… until she met Light Hope.

Now, all she could think about was to spend time with her. And, as much as this scared her, she could actually picture herself spending the rest of her life with her.

How would that even look like? Light Hope wouldn‘t age, practically immortal. She on the other hand, would get older. She thought about being an old hag and still being with an attractive, eternally young hologram. She smiled to herself. That wasn‘t too bad actually. 

But would people accept them? Would they understand their relationship? Maybe not everyone would, but on Etheria at least, people seemed very open to any kind of relationship. Mara thought about Madame Razz. The old woman would probably be happy for her, if she told her. Maybe she should tell her. 

She would, when the time was right.

Yeah. Truthfully, she really could imagine a life where she was the woman at Light Hope‘s side. Not matter how cliche that sounded.

Because, if she was being honest to herself, she was falling in love with the hologram. No. It was too late for that. She loved her. She loved Light Hope with everything she had. And she wanted to tell her. Badly. But she couldn‘t. Not yet. She had to do something first.

„Light Hope?“ The hologram looked up from the console. „I think I have to leave you here for a bit. There‘s something I need to do.“ 

Light Hope nodded. „Of course Mara. I will continue tracking and save all the accumulated data, so you can access it when you return.“

Mara smiled, walking up to her and gently running her hand up and down her arm. She then took her hand and brought it close to her face. „I‘ll think of you, Hope.“ she said, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. The hologram looked at her. „I…. will think of you too.“

—-

„So… why did you want to see me? Is everything okay? How are things with… you know… with the AI of yours?“ Serenia was slowly walking over to her couch, looking over her shoulder at Mara, who was standing there with slumped shoulders.

„That‘s actually why I‘m here.“ Mara admitted.

„Oh no, did she reject you? Mara, I‘m so sorry, I-“ Serenia started, but Mara interrupted her. „No, she didn‘t. She actually returns my feelings.“

Serenia let herself fall onto the cushions of the couch, looking back at her, confusion visible on her face. „But… that‘s great then? That‘s what you wanted, right? Why aren‘t we celebrating?“

Mara crossed the tent, joining Serenia on the couch. „Because I realized that it‘s probably a lot more serious than I previously thought. I don‘t just like her, I-… I love her.“ She took a deep breath. „And I think I want a serious and committed relationship with her.“

Serenia looked at her with raised eyebrows.

„Wow. That‘s big news. Especially coming from you.“

„I know.“ Mara dropped her head into her hands.

„I didn‘t think I‘d live to witness this day. Mara admits that she loves someone and actually wants to commit herself?“ Serenia chuckled, but put her hand on Mara‘s back, rubbing it soothingly. 

Mara made a face at her. „Yeah, I know that I’m usually the one who is running when things are getting too serious and that I‘m usually not the relationship kind of gal, but… she‘s different. She’s special.“

„That, I can tell.“ Serenia said. „She seems really important to you.“

„She is.“ Mara paused, drawing in another deep breath. „That‘s why I wanted to see you. I… I wanted to tell you that this… arrangement... between us. It can‘t continue.“

Serenia exhaled audibly. „Honestly? I always knew this day would come, Mara.“ Mara regarded her with furrowed brows. „I knew that, sooner or later, you would find someone. Someone special. I think only you thought that you would never settle for anyone.“

„Are you mad?“ Mara asked. Even though they were never in a romantic relationship, Serenia was still her friend. Her oldest friend. She was immensely important to her.

„Mad? Are you kidding? I am happy for you! Of course I understand that you want to fully commit to Light Hope. And honestly, I appreciate you telling me this now.“ Serenia smiled at her friend. „It‘s all good between us, don‘t you worry!“

Mara smiled back at her, relieved. „I‘m glad to call you my friend, Serenia. Thank you for being so understanding.“

„Come here.“ Serenia just said, seizing the other woman up in a tight hug. She would miss having sex with Mara. They were a good fit in that aspect, after all. But Mara loved Light Hope and she wanted to commit to her. The hologram was very lucky.

„So, now tell me everything!“ Serenia leaned back to look at Mara gravely. „Is she a good kisser?“

„We… haven‘t actually kissed much yet. She’s really new to all of this and I think she is still too shy to initiate a kiss. Maybe she doesn’t really get kissing? But we‘ve done… other things.“

Serenia leaned back into the cushions of the couch, crossing her arms behind her head. „I guess you have to be a bit patient with her regarding the pacing of the relationship. Hologram‘s probably have a different approach to things.“ She winked at the brunette. „But please, do tell me about those ‚other things‘ you have done.“

Mara grinned at her.

—-

She returned to her ship first thing the next morning. When it came into view in the distance, Mara felt her excitement starting to grow. The brunette shook her head at herself. It had just been one night. She really wasn‘t used to be feeling this giddy about someone.

Serenia and her had talked the whole night. Mara had filled her in with all the details regarding the still pretty new relationship between her and Light Hope. Mostly tough, Mara had been gushing about the hologram non-stop, coming up with one cute anecdote after the other.

So naturally, she was feeling rather excited to see her again. It really was a shame that the hologram wasn’t able to accompany her whenever she left the ship. Mara would have loved to introduce her best friend to her new… girlfriend? Was that the correct term? She‘d probably have to ask her later.

„Light Hope?“ she called out when she had finished climbing up the ramp leading into the inside of her ship. 

In an instant, the blue form materialized next to her. 

„Mara. I am relieved you made it back safely.“

Mara grinned at her, wiggling her eyebrows.

„Did you miss me?“

Light Hope was looking at her with a stern expression. 

„Of course I missed you during your absence. I cannot control or anticipate what happens when you are leaving this ship. The outer world is a dangerous place where a lot of unforeseen things could happen to you. Hence I am always missing you when you are away, hoping you will return without being harmed.“

Mara blushed. She had just wanted to make a simple joke, but hadn’t taken into account that Light Hope generally had trouble understanding jokes or sarcasm. She also wasn‘t giving her enough credit. Light Hope cared for her with a ferocity that was still very new to Mara.

„I‘m not harmed, Hope, everything is perfectly fine.“ She walked up to the hologram, slinging her arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. „I didn‘t know how worried you get when I‘m away.“ She rubbed her hands soothingly across the holograms back, when she realized that Light Hope probably couldn’t even feel that.

„You know what?“ Mara said, leaning back. „When I‘m leaving again, I will message you through my pad every night, so you‘ll know I‘m safe and sound.“

Light Hope smiled at her. „Yes. If you would notify me once a day I would not be in such worry about your wellbeing anymore.“

„That‘s settled then.“ Mara said, nodding. „And… there‘s another thing I wanted to ask you.“ Mara took one of the holograms hands inside of hers. She held it tenderly, letting her fingers run across the long digits, sensually. She then turned the hand upwards to draw random patterns inside the holograms palm. Light Hope was watching her, immobile.

„You don’t feel this, do you?“ Mara asked in a low voice.

„I can sense that you are touching me. But it is a very dull feeling, as if I‘m being touched through a layer of cloth.“

„Is it possible to enhance your sensitivity somehow?“

Light Hope was silent for a moment, 

„I would have to update myself, change some parts of my programming. But to answer your question: I believe it could be accomplished.“

„Why haven‘t you done so already?“ Mara queried.

„I just never considered it. I do not care much about my own comfort. As long as you are pleased, I am satisfied.“ Light Hope admitted.

Mara shook her head decisively. „Nu-uh. We‘re not doing that.“ She grabbed Light Hope‘s upper arms, capturing her gaze with her own. The hologram could feel the fire behind the brunette‘s eyes.

„I like you Hope. I really like you. Hell, even more than that, but now‘s… not the time for that. But please, whatever you do, always keep in mind that you matter. Your feelings matter. You don‘t just exist to please me, to… serve She-Ra or whatever the First One‘s instilled in you. That‘s what they wanted but we‘re already way past that. You‘re more than a simple hologram to me, Hope. Don‘t ever put your own needs and wants behind mine.“

Light Hope bowed her head, looking at the ground. Mara brought one hand up, gently cupping her cheek and lifting her head a bit so she could look into her ice blue eyes again.

„Do you understand me, Hope? You‘re very important to me. You‘re my girlfriend, after all.“ Oh my god, she had said it. She blushed. „That is, if you want to be.“

Light Hope was staring back at her, wide eyed.

„Yes. Girlfriends. I would like it if you were to be my significant other.“

„Good.“ Mara smiled, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes as her heart felt as if it was threatening to explode inside her chest. „It‘s official, then.“

„Should I install the update now?“ Light Hope said, slightly uncomfortable as she saw the tears inside Mara‘s eyes, not knowing what to do in a situation like this. Human emotions were complex indeed.

„You can install the update whenever you want to. If you want to. You don‘t need to do anything you don‘t want to.“ Mara smiled at the hologram. „But you should know that being able to feel is incredible. When you touch me…“ she grabbed one of the holograms hand, bringing it up to her face, nuzzling her cheek into the wide palm, „it feels unbelievable. I can feel so much. The temperature of your skin.“ Mara turned her head and placed a kiss against the inside of Light Hope‘s palm. „I can feel the texture of your skin.“ She darted her tongue out and the hologram watched fascinated as the pink tip ran over her palm. „I can taste you.“ She turned her head again, looking directly at Light Hope. Her eyes wandered over her face, flickering downwards to her lips repeatedly.

„I really want to kiss you right now.“ Light Hope felt frozen to the spot. Didn‘t know what to say, what to do.

„But it‘s only half the fun if you can‘t really feel it.“ She paused, looking at her intently. “Imagine if you could feel it though.“

The hologram was inexperienced, but even she could tell that the energy in the room had shifted somehow.

Mara let her hands wander over Light Hope‘s torso, mapping out the skin under her fingertips. She finally rested her hands on her waist, holding onto her, pulling their fronts flush together.

„You would have to lean down a little because you‘re just so /tall/.“ Mara looked up at her, biting her lower lip. „Maybe I would get on my toes, meet you halfway.“ She licked her lips. „And then our lips would finally meet and you would be able to feel my lips against yours. You would be able to feel how soft they are. You would be able to taste me.“ Mara pressed one of her legs between the hologram‘s, crumpling her long dress in the process. It didn‘t matter, as it wasn‘t programmed to wrinkle. „If you could feel, you would definitely feel this.“ Mara pressed her thigh upwards and against the holograms center. Light Hope just looked at her. Mara grinned. 

„Do the same to me.“ Light Hope was curious, so she brought her own thigh close to Mara‘s center. When her thigh made contact with Mara through her leggings, the brunette let out a gasp, pressing back against her. 

„Do it again.“ Mara said, her eyes closed and Light Hope complied, raising her leg to press it upwards against the brunette‘s center.

This time, Mara let out a little moan and Light Hope felt as though her insides were on fire, even though she could only see the other woman‘s reaction. Mara was right.

„I think I want to install it.“

„What?“ Mara‘s face was flushed, her hands gripping Light Hope‘s waist tightly.

„I am reprogramming myself.“

„Right now?“ Light Hope studied the brunette, who was not-so-subtly grinding down on her thigh in that moment, her eyes becoming unfocused, a blush already spreading down to her chest.

„Oh! Yeah, sure!“ Mara then exclaimed, practically jumping backwards, as if she suddenly realized what she had been doing.

„I will have to be offline for approximately 90 minutes to install the update.“

Mara raised her eyebrows at that, nodding her head slowly. That was a bit longer than she had hoped. She rubbed her thighs together, trying to ease her arousal in some way. It didn‘t work particularly well. Time for a cold shower, then.

„Alright! Sure! I‘ll just be in my quarters, I don‘t want to disturb your work in any way!“

She turned to go, but caught herself, looking back at the hologram.

„I can‘t wait to see you again in 90 minutes, Hope.“ Her eyes were trained on her lips again, weren‘t they? „I can‘t wait to feel your lips against mine.“

Light Hope gulped. This update would probably be the most interesting one she ever installed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Thanks for reading! I love u 😍 
> 
> My first idea was to include my other fics into this multi chapter one, but you know what? I prefer this as a standalone. So you will get yet another awakening of a „OMG I can feel anything now“ - Light Hope!


	8. touch me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light Hope‘s update is at 100%.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehe.... the update is complete guys.... you know what this means.... this chapter contains smut!

„Don‘t stop.“ Light Hope said in a low voice, squirming against her touch. 

„How could I?“ Mara said, pressing her hand flat against a nipple, feeling it straining against the inside of her palm. 

„You told the truth, it is very hard to describe just how pleasant it feels when you are touching me.“ Mara nodded, her forehead resting against the other womans skin. The hologram was squirming under her, trying to press herself closer to her and Mara was there for her, giving her the reassurance she obviously craved.

„It is equally indescribable how good it feels to be able to touch you, knowing that you can actually tell that I‘m doing so.“ Her voice was breathless. This was affecting her as well and she was getting painfully aroused just by caressing the other woman and watching the way she reacted. „You feel so soft under my touch. You‘re amazing.“ She added, her thumb grazing over her nipple and Light Hope hissed.

„It seems that this is a very sensitive part of my body. It is quite overwhelming for me when you touch it.“ Mara leaned back, looking at the hologram. Light Hope was looking back at her through half lidded eyes. Mara brought her forehead against hers, their noses touching.

„It‘s also a very sensitive area for me, so I‘ll be careful. I don‘t want to overstimulate you, cause that can get slightly uncomfortable, honestly.“ She sat back a bit, letting her eyes travel across the holograms body. Her robe had been discarded earlier, laying behind them on the ground of her room. The garment covering her upper body was bunched up, her full breasts exposed. Mara thought back to how they had ended here. 

It had escalated quickly when Light Hope had appeared in her quarters a couple of minutes before. She had announced that her update had been successfully installed and just a second later Mara had found herself being swept up in her embrace. Light Hope had made a relieved sound and Mara had let her hands travel over every bit of her she could reach. When she had reached the hem of her shirt, her fingers slipping under it, Light Hope had gasped. Then, she had outright asked if she would be willing to cover her breasts. Naturally, Mara had done so. She had craved for this for far longer that she was willing to admit. 

The brunette had realized quickly just /how/ sensitive the hologram was as Light Hope‘s legs instantly started trembling when Mara made contact with her soft breasts. She had decided to guide her backwards until her legs had hit the edge of her bed. Mara had gently laid her down, settling herself half on top of her, half next to her, her hands never leaving her breasts.

And that was essentially the position they were in right now. Mara was pressed on top of Light Hope, the hologram squirming against her, already riled up, even though the only thing Mara had done was fondling her breasts a little.

„I want to kiss you.“ Mara said, her voice low, a nearly predatory look in her eyes. She craved to kiss her with every fiber of her being. She couldn‘t wait any longer.

Light Hope‘s fists grabbed the bedsheets. „Yes.“ she breathed. „I want to know what kissing you feels like.“ 

„Okay.“ Mara said, leaning down slowly. She noticed Light Hope closing her eyes at one point and Mara felt her palms growing sweaty. Light Hope‘s mouth was hanging slightly open and Mara studied her, licking her lips in anticipation. She was so close to her, her breath ghosting over the hologram‘s lips. She felt the tremor that ran through the body underneath of her. Mara placed her hand gently on the side of Light Hope‘s face, her thumb stroking her cheek as she finally leaned in, closing the distance.

Their lips molded against each other in perfect unison. Light Hope‘s lips were /soft/, softer than anything she had ever felt. The hologram made some kind of noise, pressing her lips against hers with insistence.

Light Hope was overwhelmed. In an instant, she finally understood why Mara was always pressing her lips to her skin whenever she could. Kissing Mara was a beautiful thing. Mara was gentle, her lips only fluttering against hers and the hologram felt sparks running through her whole body. She needed more. She pressed back against the lips and Mara got the hint, reprociating her fervor. Mara moved her lips somehow and Light Hope adapted, copying her movements. Apparently she made the right decision as Mara‘s hand left her cheek and instead went to the back of her head, her fingers buried in the short blue hair, holding her close.

Suddenly, she felt something wet grazing her lips. Light Hope opened her eyes in shock at the electric feeling that was running through her at the contact. There it was again. The combination of the softness of her lips and the distinctive wetness (of her tongue?) was making it hard for Light Hope to control herself. Instinctively (Where that instinct came from, she didn‘t know. Didn‘t care.) she opened her mouth slightly and apparently, that was all that was needed. Mara‘s tongue went to her parted lips, prodding, pressing forwards, demanding… entrance? Light Hope was more than willing to grant her access and so she opened her mouth a bit more. The brunette cradled the back of her head, holding her close, deepening the kiss. Her tongue entered her mouth fully, as it searched for the tongue of the hologram. Light Hope didn‘t really know what was happening anymore, as she admittedly felt a little bit lost. All she knew that everything seemed to be narrowing down to the connection of their lips, of their tongues. They were sliding against each other timidly, the hologram following the humans lead. The feeling was truly indescribable. Light Hope realized that a noise left her throat, a whiny, desperate noise… a moan? She was moaning? She tried focusing on her auditive sensors and indeed, she was moaning as Mara kissed her deeply. Light Hope‘s own hands flew upwards, burying themselves in Mara‘s locks, sliding through her long and thick hair. She hoped her touch would convey how much she enjoyed their kissing. Luckily, Mara didn‘t slow down, didn't ease up. She explored her mouth while her body on top slid against hers, covering her completely. While she climbed onto the hologram‘s body, pelvis placed against pelvis, one of her legs fell between Light Hope‘s. Mara was squirming above her and - in an unplanned movement - the top of her strong thigh pressed against Light Hope. The hologram arched off the bed, caught completely off guard at the sensation. She broke off the kiss, gasping for air. What was that?

Mara looked at her, a worried expression on her face.

„Oh, I‘m so sorry Hope, I should have warned you, it was an accident.“

„No.“ Light Hope shook her head, interrupting her quickly. She looked at Mara. „Can you repeat that?“ 

„Oh, Light Hope.“ Mara looked at her with an expression she had never seen before. Light Hope wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew that the way the brunette looked at her meant something special. Mara rocked forward, her muscular thigh pressing against her in the same fashion as it had earlier. And oh, it was even more intense now. 

„Yes.“ Light Hope said, angling her hips so Mara could press even more direct against her. This was unlike anything she ever experienced. „It feels extraordinary.“ she tried to explain, her voice coming out thick.

„Yeah?“ Mara said, rocking forward again, keeping eye contact. 

„Oh!“ It was addicting honestly. „Yes.“ 

„You want me to continue this?“ the human asked and Light Hope nodded her head vigorously. 

„Affirmative.“ 

„Anything for you.“ Mara was now rocking against her repeatedly, her hands placed left and right of Light Hope‘s head. The position left her hovering over her, looking down at the hologram with /that/ expression again. Light Hope felt the familiar warmth spreading through her, accumulating where her heart would be placed had she been organic. Her chest almost hurt with all the feelings she was experiencing. She felt Mara‘s thigh sliding against her center, against her… clit, wasn‘t it? She knew all about anatomy in theory, as she had researched everything profusely. She had also crafted herself a body that was as close as possible to the body of a human female. But knowing about something and /feeling/ it, was truly something different. It got harder and harder for her to concentrate. For some reason, the things she felt only increased in intensity, clouding her ability to form logic thoughts.

Another desperate sounding moan left her throat, her hands grabbing Mara‘s forearms, in a frantic effort to ground herself. It seemed pointless as the sensations didn‘t lesson. Quite the opposite, actually. 

Mara didn‘t slow down. One powerful thrust followed the other. Light Hope was clinging to the brunette, needing to be as close as possible to her. 

„Are you close?“ Light Hope‘s eyes were shut tightly, her grip tightening on the brunette, who didn‘t seem to mind in the slightest, continuing to drive her thigh against her most sensitive spot. 

„I do not know what you mean, exactly. But please Mara, I‘m asking you to maintain your current velocity. My body seems very receptive of it.“

„You like it?“ Mara voice was breathless and slightly hoarse. Light Hope opened her eyes and noticed how the brunette had started rubbing herself on one of her thighs as well. With every thrust against her, she pressed her own center down on her thigh. Light Hope was fascinated by the fact that they were still fully clothed (except her upper body of course) but still engaged in such an intimate activity. The feelings she was experiencing in this moment were unlike anything she had ever felt before.

„Most assuredly, Mara.“

„Just hang on, Hope. It won‘t take much longer now. Try to relax a bit and prepare yourself for a massive influx of sensation.“ The brunette wanted to warn the hologram ahead of time because this would undoubtedly be something big for her.

„Yes, Mara.“ The hologram looked at Mara hovering over her. She was flushed, a look of pure desire visible on her face. Light Hope was suddenly feeling overwhelmed when she realized that she was the one Mara desired. 

„Can you increase the strength of your thrusts?“

„You want me to go harder?“

„Harder, yes. Please.“ Mara liked the way Light Hope sounded, desperately holding onto her. Of course she complied with her request.

It didn‘t take much. One, two, three thrusts later and suddenly Light Hope‘s hold on her arms increased even more, her fingernails pressing into Mara‘s skin quite painfully. But Mara didn‘t cease her movements, didn‘t even slow down, keeping the momentum. She was really close herself. Under her, Light Hope fell apart, climaxing hard, trashing against her. Her legs were twitching and Mara moaned as the hologram pressed one thigh against her at just the right angle. Light Hope‘s eyes, which had been closed as she had reached the precipe, opened and when Mara saw the sheer amount of pure /love/ in them, directed at /her/, she couldn’t help but follow her over the edge. 

Together, the human and the hologram reached the greatest heights, helpless noises leaving their mouths, their bodies rocking against each other in desperation. Their eyes stayed connected, their love nearly becoming a tangible force floating between them.

Mara felt how Light Hope was still twitching under her, saw her pleasure visible on her face, her mouth open, her eyes cloudy. The brunette gently brought them both down from their shared high, careful not to overstimulate the hologram.

When the tremors had finally subsided, Light Hope loosened her grip on her upper arms and Mara felt the blood circulating back to her hands. The brunette leaned down to capture the holograms lips in a passionate kiss. Light Hope melted against her, returning her kiss with force even though she was still spent from the first orgasm of her existence. Mara cradled the back of her hand, her fingers treading softly through her hair.

When she leaned back, Light Hope was watching her with an intensity that made her shiver.

„Mara, I love you.“ 

Mara crashed her lips against Light Hope‘s again.


	9. bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The relationship between Mara and Light Hope progresses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone hates Monday’s, so take this new chapter to (hopefully) make your day a bit better!

It had been quite the surprise that it was actually the hologram who confessed her feelings first. But Mara couldn‘t be more happy with it. Never in a million years she would have thought that she would find love and now it happened with the most unlikely of options. With her hologram, programmed to serve She-Ra in her mission, programmed to even stop her if she should decide to work against the First One’s one day. Who would have guessed that this hologram would fall in love with She-Ra? And who would have guessed that She-Ra would indeed return these feelings?

Mara felt happiness and relief coursing through her veins. Had someone told her that this would be her destiny five years ago, she would have laughed in their face. But here they were. Naturally, she told the hologram of her own feelings, which caused the hologram to nearly break down in her arms.

„You love me?“ she had asked, incredulously, clinging to her.

„I do.“ Mara wrapped her arms around her form tightly, needing to feel the holograms body against hers. „I’ve felt this way for quite some time now. I wanted to tell you, but I didn‘t know how. I didn‘t know if you would return my feelings.“

„It was foolish to be worried about this. How could I not return your feelings? You are so very special to me, Mara.“

Mara smiled against Light Hope‘s shoulder.

„You wouldn’t believe how happy I am right now.“

—-

The next weeks were filled with bliss.

Aside from doing their routine work for the First One‘s and their secret work for the rebellion, they were spending every free minute with each other. They were talking about their new relationship, about what it meant for them. They were talking about each of their pasts. Light Hope hadn‘t much to tell in that area, because her life had been pretty straight-forward and uneventful before she had met the human. Mara on the other hand, told her about her childhood and adolescence on Eternia, how she had met Serenia at one point and became close to her. When Mara told her that she and Serenia had an intimate arrangement, Light Hope looked at her with a furrow in her brows.

„You were intimate with her?“

They were both sitting on Mara‘s bunk, their backs leaned against the wall. Light Hope‘s hand was inside Mara‘s, who was currently playing with her fingers, gently stroking them.

„Yes.“

„How many times did it occur?“

Mara shrugged.

„I didn’t exactly count, so I don‘t have an answer to that. It went on for a couple years. But it never progressed into something serious. It was casual.“

Light Hope thought about Mara‘s words. Casual intimacy wasn‘t a concept that was easy for her to understand. She had only ever experienced intimacy with Mara and she didn‘t crave for it with anybody else. The hologram imagined Mara inside the arms of another person and felt a painful pang inside her chest. She felt confused, not sure why she had a reaction like this. Mara noticed the hologram suddenly becoming rigid beside her.

„What‘s wrong?“ she asked the hologram. Light hope studied Mara‘s face closely.

„I struggle to explain what I am feeling right now.“

Mara suspected she knew what was troubling the hologram. Light Hope was obviously having a hard time describing her feelings and so she decided to help her.

„Does it have anything to do with my relationship to Serenia?“

Light Hope nodded.

„Yes. Are you still intimate with her?“

Mara shook her head.

„I ended it. When we were starting our relationship, I met up with her and told her that we couldn‘t continue our casual hook ups anymore.“

She grabbed the holograms tightly, looking at her intently. 

„You and me, Hope. This between us - it‘s special.“ 

Light Hope looked down at their joined hands.

„If I‘m completely honest with you, I was scared to be in a relationship for most of my life. I thought I didn‘t need it. And I didn‘t. I was happy on my own, not wanting to commit myself to anyone.“ She paused. „And then I met you. And everything suddenly changed.“

She gave the holograms hand a squeeze and Light Hope looked up at her again.

„I am glad that you are She-Ra. I feel that my existence would be nothing if we had not met. I would have remained a simple computer program, an intelligent AI nontheless, but an emotional hollow one.“

Light Hope leaned forward and placed a soft kiss against Mara‘s lips.

„You showed me what emotions are. You showed me even so much more than that. You taught me what love is.“

Mara felt tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. Light Hope probably didn’t know, but her words had a profound effect on the other woman. 

„Light Hope. You also showed me all of this. I was afraid to love someone. But not anymore.“ Their lips met again, in a sweet, loving kiss. 

„And just so you know. There‘s only you.“

Light Hope looked at her intently.

„I don‘t know why exactly, but I am somehow relieved to hear that.“

Mara smiled at her. Never in a million years she would have guessed that the hologram would be the jealous type. 

—-

„This is Hope.“ Mara said, gesturing to the shimmering form of the hologram next to her. „She is my girlfriend now.“

„The ghost is your girlfriend?“ The eyes of old woman wandered between the pair. 

Mara chuckled.

„She‘s not a ghost, she‘s a hologram.“

„Hologram, yeah, yeah.“ Razz said, nodding her head vigorously. Mara couldn’t really tell if she actually understood what a hologram was, but apparently, the explanation was good enough for her. 

„Well then, congratulations, Mara, dearie!“

Madame Razz seized the brunette up in a tight hug. When she was finished, she adjusted her thick glasses and walked up close to the AI, raising her head to look at her much taller form.

„Always be nice to my Mara, or else I‘m gonna hit you with my broom, ghost.“ she said, raising her old broomstick to underline her statement. 

Light Hope remembered that she had already been the target of her broomstick attack before. Even Mara had been hit by her. This Madame Razz was small and old, but somehow Light Hope was still a little bit afraid of her.

„I am always… nice to Mara. She is everything to me.“

„Good, everything, good, yeah.“ Razz murmured, turning to look at Mara.

„So when are we going to make a pie, Adora?“

—-

Serenia met Light Hope over the pad. Since she couldn‘t come visit her, as that would have been too risky for the rebellion, meeting her best friends girlfriend via videochat seemed the most appropriate alternative.

„So, you‘re the famous hologram, Light Hope.“ Serenia stated, a twinkle in her eye.

„I am famous?“ Light Hope looked surprised but Serenia just chuckled.

„She‘s funny, I‘ll give you that.“ She said, looking at Mara, who was blushing beside the hologram.

„Hope?“ Serenia started, her voice serious again. „Keep an eye out for her, yeah? I don‘t want anything bad happen to her.“

„The well-being of Mara has the highest priority for me.“ 

„I‘m glad to hear that.“ Serenia nodded.

—-

Mara had never been more content with her life. Her mission was going well and the First One‘s weren’t bothering her much these days. She had relative freedom with her mission as She-Ra and she did make good use of that. She met with various natives of the planet, learning as much as possible, aiding them when there was trouble of any kind. The rebellion had a breakthrough lately, leading to the construction of a Failsafe, which would come in handy if the First One‘s would decide to activate the Heart of Etheria. 

Every time she returned to her ship, her loyal hologram was already awaiting her. Lately, she had learned how to prepare food for the human and so Mara was smiling when she entered, the smell of dinner hitting her nostrils.

„Light Hope, you shouldn‘t have.“ she said, playfully scolding the hologram. It wasn‘t her original designation to be cooking for her and she felt a bit embarrassed by that. Maybe part of the reason for that was that she couldn‘t return the favor, considering that the hologram didn‘t eat.

But Light Hope insisted and - Mara admitted - it was kinda cute that she did cook for her. Even though it mostly consisted of warming up the pre-packaged nutritional rations which she found in the storage of the ship. But the rations were quite tasty and Mara appreciated the help.

They talked during dinner, Mara eating her warmed up rations. They could talk about everything. The hologram didn‘t understand every single thing she said straight away, but Mara loved taking some time to explain things to her. Truth be told, she found that the holograms confused remarks and questions were often quite charming.

When night crept up upon them, they usually enjoyed each other’s embrace. Ever since they had added this more intimate aspect to their relationship, they couldn‘t keep their hands off each other. 

Light Hope was hungry to learn everything about Mara‘s body, to find every spot that brought her pleasure. Mara was delighted that the hologram was so eager to please her, excited to show her all the different ways of giving pleasure. She was also curious to learn all about the hologram. Light Hope was always ready for her to take control during their love-making and Mara loved to see the hologram come undone because of her. Everything was new for her, and it was a great honor for the brunette to guide the AI. She reveled in the fact that the hologram trusted her completely and without question. Light Hope was always thirsty to experience new things, readily opening up to her.

Mara was currently right between her legs, Light Hope’s thighs placed on her shoulders, her heels digging into her shoulderblades. The brunette had just finished riding the holograms fingers and, after a powerful release, decided to dive down between Light Hope‘s long legs without even waiting to catch her breath.

Mara was greedily feasting on her. The hologram generated desperate noises into the air of her quarters. Mara absolutely loved pleasuring her this way. Light Hope was so sensitive in that area and whenever Mara was eating her out like this, she simply became unhinged. Mara loved seeing her like this. She thought about the fact that she was the only one who would ever see Light Hope like this. The usual stoic and logical hologram with the angular features, now writhing under her, her legs spread for her, uttering all kinds of needy sounds, bucking up against her face.

Mara let her tongue swirl through her folds, circling her clit and the hologram whined. She was close, Mara could tell. She brought her hand up, pressing two fingers against her entrance. 

„Please enter me, Mara.“ the hologram vocalized, her voice pretty breathless for a being that wasn‘t reliant on air.

Mara hummed against her and pressed her fingers into Light Hope. She arched her back, pressing herself against Mara‘s mouth and the brunette was there for her, licking her, pressing the flat of her tongue against her, while her fingers pumped in and out of the hologram. It wasn‘t long before Light Hope met every one of her thrusts, spurring her on.

„I… can feel… you… moving… inside of me.“ she gasped, her voice getting strained and Mara smiled.

„You feel so good Light Hope. You‘re doing great, by the way… Just a little more.“

That was all it took. Light Hope tumbled over the edge, her hands clutching at Mara‘s upper body, frantically pulling her down, the hologram‘s lips pressing against the human‘s needily.

Mara swiftly entered her mouth with her tongue and Light Hope readily accepted her, trashing under her, moaning inside her mouth. Mara swallowed the noises, feeling proud to witness Light Hope like this. She would never get enough of this.

Afterwards, they were laying close, Mara nestled against the holograms side, tracing patterns on the blue skin. Light Hope hummed with appreciation.

Mara opened her eyes, looking at the serene face of the hologram. She felt so happy in that moment, so content with life, so full with her love for Light Hope. She wished this moment would never end, that she would live in this bliss forever. The brunette poked the holograms side, who opened her eyes at that.

„I love you, Hope.“ Mara said, unprompted and the hologram smiled at her, her whole face lighting up at her words.

„I love you, too.“ Light Hope pressed a light kiss against her forehead, smiling against her skin.

Everything was wonderful. 

But unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... i know. Excuse me while I cry beforehand.


	10. corrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They didn‘t anticipate this flaw in their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit‘s about to go down. be warned. This is angsty and sad.

The eternian engineer looked up as his supervisor was entering the room. This could only mean one thing. 

„It is time.“ the man said, straightening his back. Finally. They had waited so long for this.

„Access the hologram. We will activate it.“

The engineer nodded, walking over to one of the giant screens, accessing the controls. His fingers ghosted over the control panel, while he initiated the activation sequence. 

Nothing happened. His brow furrowed. This wasn‘t right. 

„What’s taking so long?“ 

The engineer didn‘t answer. Instead, the frown on his face deepened, pearls of sweat appearing on his forehead as he furiously tried to access the hologram again and again. Still, nothing. 

„I have to run a scan.“ he explained and his supervisor nodded shortly, a grim look on his face. He didn‘t like delays.

Thankfully, the scan was quick. A red light began blinking somewhere on the screen, then another, until a bunch of tiny red dots were scattered all over the projection.

„This is impossible…“ The engineer shook his head. His hands left the access panel, his arms limply hanging down at the sides of his body. There was nothing he could do from here.

„What is impossible??!“ his supervisor snapped. „What the hell is the problem with this hologram?“

„I cannot access it.“

His supervisor opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. The engineer saw him getting red in the face. He was not pleased with this piece of information.

„Why?“ he said through gritted teeth.

„It is hard to tell from here.“ He took a breath. „Though it seems that, somehow, the connection has been severed. I don‘t know how that would be possible, except if the Light Hope operating system had somehow decided to do this on it‘s own…“ he trailed off, wondering if this was a legitimate possibility. The AI was nothing more than a hologram after all. Why would it gain sentience like that? Why would it work against the First One‘s, it‘s creators? If he was being honest with himself, it was kind of fascinating. But studying sentience in AI‘s had never been a priority for them. Who cared if they felt things? The important thing was that they did their jobs. The Heart of Etheria had to be activated.

„I will have to access it manually. Let me travel to Etheria and access the ship from the outside. That way I can activate it, no matter if it‘s connection is broken.“

His supervisor did not seem happy, but it was their only option.

„I will send She-Ra away on a mission right away, so you won‘t encounter her at the ship. You know about the intel we gathered on her. That traitorous woman surely has something to do with the severed connection to the Light Hope operating system. We cannot risk her interfering.“

The engineer nodded. This was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. It would all work according to their plan. He would make sure of that.

—-

„Ugh, the First One‘s want me on another mission. I was wondering when they would ask for me again.“

Mara rolled over, pressing a soft kiss against Light Hope‘s temple, who closed her eyes at the contact, humming. The brunette sat up, looking at the form of the hologram, laying on her bed. No, their bed. Even though Hope didn‘t have to sleep, she did spend every night on it, after all.

Just like Mara, the hologram was completely naked, the blanket covering her very inefficiently. Mara was actually really glad for that. She loved waking up next to her, being able to appreciate her body first thing every morning.

Mara couldn‘t help herself. She leaned down, placing her hands on her exposed torso and gently took one of her nipples inside her mouth. Light Hope let out a soft sigh, her lips curling upwards as she let herself melt against Mara, letting the pleasure wash over her.

The brunette kissed down her body, over her stomach until she reached the apex of her thighs, where she nuzzled her nose into the short white hair which was growing there. Above her, Light Hope let out a whimper.

Mara chuckled.

„I wish we had time for this. But the sooner I finish this mission, the sooner I can return to you. And then we can continue this without time as an issue, yeah? We don‘t have to rush things then.“ She sat up, looking at Light Hope, who had quite the dopey smile on her face. 

„Yes Mara. That seems very appropriate.“

Mara placed another kiss on the inside of Light Hope‘s thigh, which caused a tiny shudder to run through the hologram, before she sprang up from the bed, gathering a fresh set of clothes to take with her into the shower room.

„By the way, when I‘m back, I want to continue working on that device again. I really want to show you the fields of flowers which are growing close to here. You will like them.“ She paused, looking at the hologram, a blush starting to cover her cheeks.

„I also really want to make love to you in an actual flower field. Imagine that. Out there, in the open. Where you‘re finally free from the confines of this ship. We will be able to go anywhere you want to.“

Light Hope smiled at her.

„The possibility of finally seeing the outer world excites me. I will continue my research on the device while you are away on your mission. I am really invested in visiting these flower fields in person. Even more so after hearing your elaboration of what you plan to do when we arrive there.“

„I‘m sure you‘ll love it, Hope.“ Mara said, winking at her.

After she had showered, dressed herself and was basically ready to go, they met in the cockpit of the ship. Light Hope was already working on her research and Mara smiled to herself when she saw her like that. She placed a hand on her back, alerting her to her presence.

„I just wanted to say goodbye, Hope. I promise I’ll call you later today. This mission shouldn‘t take too long, though!“

Light Hope looked up from her work.

„Be careful Mara. I want you to return safely to me whenever this mission is over.“

„I will.“ Mara propped herself up on her toes to reach the holograms lips. Light Hope bowed down and Mara gave her the softest kiss. She smiled at her, turning and beginning to leave, when she looked back over her shoulder.

„Take care as well, Hope!“

How could she not? She was safe in the inside of the ship after all.

—-

It was the middle of the night when he arrived. He looked around and when everything seemed clear, he ran over to the ship, crouching down behind it, looking for the access panel that should be there. He peeled it away, revealing the glowing cables behind it. The engineer opened his tool box, his pad ready in his hand. He would show this hologram that it still belonged to them, no matter how loyal it apparently was to that traitorous She-Ra. He would show the hologram who it‘s real master was, who really was in control.

—-

Light Hope was promptly activated, materializing inside the cockpit. 

„Mara?“ she asked, looking around, wondering what had woken her up at this hour.

No response. The nightly illumination was on, casting dark shadows everywhere. Light Hope was confused. Why had she been activated? She had went into standby mode earlier that night, but her cycle wasn‘t finished yet.

Then, she suddenly knew.

At first, she noticed the glitches, shaking her whole body, her projection fizzing at the edges. Fear ran through her as she realized what was happening to her.

Someone was accessing her. Someone unauthorized was outside of their ship, trying to take control of her through the access panel. Apparently, her cover had been blown. The First One‘s knew that she wasn‘t connected to them anymore. Light Hope knew that they must have tried to activate the Heart of Etheria earlier and when that hadn’t worked, they had sent someone to take control of her manually. And Mara was gone right now, away on her mission. A mission that was most likely just a ruse to get her away from the ship. Light Hope was alone, unable to leave the ship and stop whoever was trying to reprogram her. 

But she couldn’t let this happen. Light Hope accessed her system, building up firewalls, trying to hide her program from the unauthorized presence. But whoever was there outside of the ship was really talented. She was fast, building up defense after defense, but the engineer broke them down, one after another. Had it been a different engineer, maybe she would have stood a chance. But he was good, anticipating her every move, breaking her walls with ease. Light Hope suddenly realized that there wasn‘t much time left. She couldn‘t win. It was over. Her processor was working at full-speed now, cycling through all kind of different scenarios in her head. 

With a pain in her chest, she realized that there was nothing she could do. She sent off an emergency signal to the Grayskull squadron, informing them that she would be compromised soon. For a second, she debated sending one off to Mara as well, but she knew that she would not be able to reach her in time and she didn‘t want to place this guilt on her. In the next minutes, they would take control over her program. They would probably reboot her, delete her personality profile, reset everything back to factory settings. Simply put, they would end her existence. Then, they would activate the Heart. Light Hope thought of Mara, of the rebellion. Would this be the end? Would they be able to stop it? Or had it all been in vain?

After they had accessed her system, overriding her, the First One‘s would also find all the data she had stored. All the memories she had of Mara would fall into their hands. She couldn‘t let that happen. Those memories were sacred, meant to stay between her and Mara. So, in a split second, Light Hope made a decision. It wasn‘t much, but it was the only thing she could do.

The engineer was close, she could feel it. Light Hope collected every bit of data of herself and of Mara, splitting it up, making billions of tiny pieces of data, scattering them everywhere, in her whole system. It would be impossible to trace them if you didn’t know what you were looking for. She hoped that they would survive a reboot. She dug deep inside her system, hiding those pieces of data away, protecting them with every firewall, every security seal she could think of. She hoped it would be enough. 

Before the engineer finally reached his goal, she redirected her thoughts to Mara, replaying the memory of her smile inside her mind. Warmth flowed through her, her heart heavy with the love she held for the woman. This hadn‘t supposed to be the end for them. It had only just begun. They had planned so many things and done so little in the end. Light Hope wished she could have at least said goodbye to her. 

Abruptly, all traces of the warmth were gone as icy coldness began spreading through her core. It had been done.

—-

„Mara.“ The brunette heard Serenia over the comm line and because of the inflection of her voice she could instantly tell that something bad had happened. She tried to prepare herself, halting her movement altogether, listening intently to her friends voice, hoping, /praying/ that her gut feeling was wrong after all. 

It wasn‘t.

„They corrupted her. Light Hope is gone.“

Mara fell to her knees, her heart broken inside her chest. A strangled cry left her lips. She felt herself beginning to shake, barely registering what Serenia was telling her over the comm. She clearly heard ‚Heart of Etheria‘, ‚imminent danger‘, ‚attack right ahead of us‘ but she couldn‘t process, couldn‘t concentrate on her words.

They took Light Hope away from her. The woman who made her realize that she deserved to be happy, that there could be a future for her after all. They took that away. Treated Light Hope like she was just a computer, reprogramming her, deleting her personality. This was beyond cruel.

But that wasn‘t enough. Not only did they take her away from her, they would start destroying the planet now, emptying it‘s magic with the sole purpose to destroy, to conquer.

She herself would be used. Used in their twisted plans. 

With a sudden realization, she saw it all laid out before her eyes. She had to try to stop them. She would at least try. No. She would give her everything, every single ounce of her being, of her willpower, of her /magic/, to stop them. She would probably die. She would most certainly die. But, with a cold shiver running down her back, she found that she didn‘t care. 

She never wanted to die. But she was out of options. And her only chance of happiness was long gone anyway.

Mara forced herself to stand up again, raising her arm to brush away the tears which had flown all over her face. She gritted her teeth together.

Around her, the rumblings began as she felt the planet beginning to bleed out under her. It had already begun. Her comm made a distorted noise, then died down. She was on her own now. Mara gripped the handle of her sword. 

She would open a portal. It was the only thing that could stop this mess. There wasn‘t enough time to get to the Failsafe anyway. But with a portal, she could drag the whole planet into Despondos. She knew all about this place. No stars, nothing. The First One‘s plan would fail if there weren‘t any planets they could colonize, exploit. 

Mara felt the weapon taking control of her, but she braced herself, trying to fight it off for now. She could do this. She could get through to her ship, there was still enough time. She hoped that Light Hope would be deactivated, that she wouldn‘t have to face her, wouldn‘t have to witness what they had done to her. But deep down she knew that this was highly unlikely. 

It would hurt. But she had to do this. And in the end, she would make sure that she could do no harm any more, that She-Ra was gone for good, that there was no chance that they could ever use her for their plans anymore. She knew that this would demand the ultimate sacrifice from her.

She never wanted this. But she had to save the universe.

What worth had her own life anyway, in the grand scheme of things?

—-

In the end, there was just an eerie silence. Her broken body, lifeless on the ground as the ship itself had crashed to the surface of the planet. Her fate the same as the holograms. 

But Etheria would be safe for the next 1000 years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you felt the emotions. I was working thoroughly on this one, re-reading and editing multiple times. Hope it turned out good. Sorry for the angst. But don‘t be too devastated! There will be a Happy End because I just can‘t be cruel like that :) So, you can be looking forward to that! :)
> 
> Btw, the events of the series fit into this chapter. More specifically, the 4th season’s episode „Hero“.


	11. bring me back to light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1000 years later, Entrapta studies the tech of the Crystal Castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn‘t torture you any longer, so here‘s the next chapter! Enjoy!

1000 years later.  
With the help of the Failsafe, the Heart of Etheria is finally destroyed.  
The war against Horde Prime is won.  
At last, there is peace.

Crystal Castle

This place was huge! Entrapta looked around, the excitement bubbling inside of her. Her palms were getting sweaty just by looking at the consoles, at the sharp lines of the old pieces of technology that were absolutely /everywhere/! 

„This is gonna be so much /fun/!“ she said to herself, a little bit too loud, but she didn‘t care because she was currently all alone in here. And even if she did have company, would they really expect her to hold back her excitement? Surely not! It wasn‘t every day that you went to the Crystal Castle, no, actually went /inside/ the Crystal Castle! A place that was stuffed with First One‘s tech! Absolutely loaded with all kinds of pieces of technology! Entrapta saw a console at the side of a crystallized wall and couldn‘t help but run over to it, giggles leaving her involuntarily out of anticipation. Wow, everything was really sparkly in here. But she was focused, her eyes widening in joy as she finally found the button who activated the console.

First One‘s hieroglyphes appeared on the display, shimmering and moving quickly. It would have been an impossible task to read them for the average Etherian, but Entrapta had come prepared, of course. No, she hadn‘t learned the language, that would have cost way too much time. Time she could have spent tending to her beloved tech! But! She had actually invented a translation device, which she could plug in or - this was her newest achievement, which she was really proud of - she could just wear a special pair of glasses that would translate every bit of of First One‘s language she decided to look at. Time to test it out!

The purple haired princess fished the glasses out of one of her pockets, shoving them upon her nose. It was working perfectly, she noted proudly, beginning to familiarize herself with the readings she spotted on the display.

It was truly fascinating. The whole place was permeated with tech. It seemed to be everywhere, in every wall, in every crystallized surface. Basically, the whole place was tech! So much data… Entrapta‘s hands flew over the control panel as she looked through the system, intrigued by the sheer mass of information.

„This is powering the life support… this seems to be some kind of navigational array…“ She was mumbling to herself at this point, which she didn‘t even realize she was doing, as she was completely immersed by now. „First One‘s cooking recipes… hmmm, tasty... information on the Heart of Etheria… well, that‘s history now… information on She-Ra… old news… wait.“ She stopped. „What’s this?“

Entrapta furrowed her brows, studying the tiny piece of data she had found. She couldn‘t really pinpoint what it was about it, but somehow it didn‘t fit in with the other files she had seen. It was different, even though she couldn‘t tell why. Yet. It was much smaller to begin with, only a couple kilobyte. It wasn‘t even readable to her. Maybe the file was some kind of remaining piece of trash from an old system clean up? No, that couldn‘t be it. It didn‘t seem like a random file, it wasn‘t empty or corrupted. This file seemed oddly… personal. As it had been left there on purpose.

The style of the programming was giving Entrapta an odd feeling overall. She knew something was up with the file and her interest was piqued. She /had/ to find out what this meant. 

She wouldn‘t sleep until she had found her answer.

—-

„So what is it that you wanted to show me?“ Adora asked, looking around in the Crystal Castle. She had a variety of memories of that place and most of them were unpleasant. The blonde hadn‘t been back to the Crystal Castle ever since the war had ended and she hadn‘t planned to, honestly. She had given Entrapta permission to study the tech of this place, knowing that the purple haired princess loved to get her hands on First One‘s tech.

Entrapta had been ecstatic. Adora had been happy for her.

She had not anticipated that she would be summoned by her into the Crystal Castle just a couple days later. But Entrapta had insisted that she had made a ‚major discovery‘ and so Adora had no other choice but to check it out for herself.

„I stumbled upon this when I first got here. Actually, I wanted to study the tech of this place, but when I was checking the system, something didn‘t seem right. And so, naturally, I looked into it.“ Entrapta was walking up and down in front of her, not able to stand still. She was too excited to share her discovery with Adora.

„It proved to be very tricky!“ she said, raising up a finger. „But that didn’t stop me, of course. A challenge makes it so much more rewarding in the end!“ The purple-haired princess nodded to herself. „So I kept digging. And searching. And calculating. And scanning. Evaluating data. In short: I did a whole lot of /science/!“

Entrapta walked up to Adora, a big smile spreading over her face.

„And in the end, it payed off! Of course it did. Science never disappoints!“

Adora was getting a tiny bit impatient. She was curious what she had uncovered exactly, because it sure did seem complicated.

„So, what did you find?“ she asked, hoping that Entrapta didn‘t feel unappreciated by her bugging.

„Oh! It is incredible! Absolutely incredible!“ The purple haired princess was jumping up and down now. „I think there are two people hidden inside the system!“

Adora was staring at her. „Two… people?“

„Well, not two ‚people‘ exactly, if you classify ‚people‘ by breathing, living organic beings, reliant on ingesting food and sleeping and getting sunlight everyday because of vitamin D levels, and needing to go to the toilet multiple times a day and…“

„Entrapta, slow down.“ Adora lay a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down a little. Entrapta was staring at the hand on her shoulder. She realized that she had been talking so fast that it was getting hard for the blonde to follow. For Adora. She knew her name. 

Entrapta redirected her gaze to Adoras face.

The woman in question looked at her intently.

„So, there are two people… stored inside the system, is that what you‘re saying?“

„YEAH!“ Entrapta said. „It‘s incredible!“

„How is that even possible?“ Adora asked incredulously.

„I don‘t know exactly!“ Entrapta shook off the hand on her shoulder and began pacing through the room again. „Although I have some theories! But the safest option would definitely be to summon the people and ask them. Actually, we should do that right now. Their technique of sealing off the data was truly magnificent and I want to ask them how they accomplished such a brilliant thing!“

Adora was still having a hard time understanding the logistics of this discovery.

„Wait, wait, wait. How did you find out about this?“

Entrapta stopped, raising her hands up. 

„They were everywhere! Little tiny pieces of data, scattered everywhere, in every corner of the system. It took many hours to find all of them. You have to know, they were really, really tiny! And broken into many fragments. But!“ She made a proud fist. „I did it! I collected every tiny file. I reversed the process. Now, the files aren‘t scattered anymore, they are finally complete again!“

Adora was nodding slowly. She was still not getting everything, but she guessed she had understood the basics.

„And now you can… reactivate them?“

„Exactly!“ Entrapta exclaimed happily. „I guessed you wanted to be here when I do that. I mean, who knows, maybe you know them or something. You‘ve been here before.“

Adora straightened herself. „Alright. I‘m ready when you are. Let‘s see who those people are.“

Entrapta‘s smile spread over her whole face, her eyes glistening with excitement. In an instant, she rushed over to a console, hitting a combination of buttons before a faint buzzing noise cut through the silence of the Crystal Castle.

Then, the people materialized. Or, to be more precise, the two holograms.

Adora was looking at them with her mouth hanging open. She instantly recognized the tall form of the Light Hope hologram. Next to her stood a smaller woman with brown hair, grey eyes and a high ponytail.

„Mara?“ Adora said, astonished. She remembered her from the old recordings which she had seen in Mara‘s ship. She had recently ‚met‘ her when she was trying to stop the Heart of Etheria.

The woman turned her head upon hearing her name, looking at Adora. There was shock and confusion painted all over her face. She looked around, her eyes landing on the blue form of the hologram standing beside her. Mara gasped, her eyes widening at the sight. Light Hope smiled at her timidly.

Entrapta watched the whole scene unfolding in front of her.

„You’re welcome! I re-activated you!“

Both holograms turned their heads, looking at the purple haired inventor standing in front of them. Mara was the first to speak.

„Are you… Adora?“ she asked and Entrapta giggled, shaking her head.

„Nope! I‘m the princess of Dryll, name’s Entrapta. Adora‘s over there!“ she added, pointing over to where the blonde was standing, still startled by the appearance of the holograms.

Mara‘s eyes landed on Adora.

Adora awkwardly took a step closer, waving her hand.

„Hi, ehh, I‘m Adora.“

„Madame Razz told me about you.“ Mara hesitated. „Well, more like, she called me ‚Adora‘ multiple times.“

„Me too! She called me Mara, like, all the time!“

Both women chuckled. Madame Razz was precious, but she could also be very confused.

„She‘s still around, you know?“ Adora said when their laughing had subsided.

„She is?“ This old woman was full of surprises. Adora nodded. „I should tell her to visit you soon!“

Entrapta cleared her throat loudly, effectively interrupting their conversation.

„I am unsure who that Razz person is that you’re talking about, and I‘m sure they are very interesting but in my opinion there are more pressing matters at hand.“ Everyone fell silent, looking into Entraptas direction. „I was just checking the system of this place when I stumbled upon these tiny files scattered all over the place. You should know, I really love tiny things and I also love tech! So I kept digging and digging and in the end it was a huge success! I found you two. Which was /fascinating/! But what’s even more fascinating is: how you were able to come up with this plan? How did you do it?“

„I didn‘t do anything.“ Mara said, turning to look at Light Hope. The taller woman’s eyes widened.

„How much do you remember, Mara?“ she asked in a low voice.

„Everything.“ Mara replied.

„Everything? Even - ?“

Mara just nodded. 

„Okay. I am unsure as to why you remember everything that has occurred but that is how it is, apparently. Please know that I am deeply sorry, Mara.“ Light Hope said, the pain written all over her face. She looked like she was about to break down. Mara wanted to say something, wanted to tell her everything was alright, wanted to hug her, but Light Hope quickly averted her eyes, focusing on Entrapta again.

„I am responsible for creating this multitude of files. There was no other way. We were being attacked and I knew they would reset me, reprogram me, delete the parts of my system that made me... ‚me‘. I knew that Mara was in danger and that I would not recognize the importance she holds for me as soon as they deleted my memory. With resetting me, they would create a heartless version of me.“ Light Hope looked at Mara, her shoulders slumped, her expression pained. „I hurt the person who means the most to me in the world and I couldn‘t stop it. I knew it was over, that we wouldn‘t make it out alive. So, in a way, I decided to immortalize me and Mara within the system, well hidden so that there was something left of us. So that we wouldn‘t be completely purged from history. I could not accept this as our fate.“

„So, you secured all these memories, all this information and both of your personality profiles, making it possible to somehow ‚resurrect‘ you as holograms?“ Entrapta inquired.

„I did.“

„I understand why you saved yourself, but why her?“ The purple haired princess pointed at Mara.

Adora cut her off, clearing her throat. „Entrapta. Isn‘t it obvious?“

Entrapta looked at Adora, then back at the two holograms, then back at Adora. Suddenly, realization dawned on her.

„...ohhhhhhh!“ 

Adora cast a crooked smile at her. „Yeah…“ Then, her eyes went wide as she suddenly remembered something. „Wait… This memory that old Light Hope played for me back then… That memory of Mara bringing you flowers… Was that one of your files, too?“

„Entirely possible.“ Light Hope nodded. „It seems that one of the files was activated when the system rebooted.“

Adora was taken aback. Mara and the original version of Light Hope were back. They were complete strangers to her, but at the same time, she felt like she had known them for a long time. 

Adora wanted to ask them so many things. Wanted to tell them so many things. But she noticed the way Mara and Light Hope were looking at each other, completely focused on each other, already oblivious to her and Entraptas presence. Entrapta was studying them silently, her pad out in front of her. She was biting her lip as she looked at the various readings on the display, fascinated by her discovery.

„Entrapta!“ Adora whispered to gain her attention. „I think we should leave them alone, looks like they need to talk.“

Mara noticed her whispering, turning around and smiling awkwardly at them. „Ah, no, we don‘t want to inconvenience you!“ she said, waving her off.

Adora shook her head firmly. „No, no, no, this is not an inconvenience for us. Also, this is basically your place and you haven‘t seen each other for a thousand years, so we‘ll leave you to it, yeah?“ Mara just nodded, looking actually relieved at Adoras words. Adora guessed everything was a bit much for her at the moment and she completely understood the need to be with her loved one first. There was probably a lot they had to talk about.

„Take as much time as you need. A couple of days if you want. Just tell us over the comm when we‘re allowed to come back.“

Entrapta nodded. „I would be ecstatic if you allowed me to come back to this place as soon as possible. It is /magnificent/!“

„Of course.“ Mara said, smiling at her.

„See you later!“ Adora said, waving, gesturing for the purple haired princess to follow her. Entrapta looked around one last time and, albeit a tad reluctantly, joined Adora in leaving the Crystal Castle.

Now, only Light Hope and Mara remained. They were finally alone.

Mara turned, looking at the taller woman, standing close to her.

„Hey.“ she said, a timid smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew.... 
> 
> I hope you‘re feeling better now. We‘re officially in the last part of this story! 
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking around! Thanks especially to you guys who keep commenting. It means the world <3
> 
> (... okay and now who‘s ready for a legit reunion of our favorite pair?? Hehehe)


	12. reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are finally alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There‘s smut in this one ;)))

Light Hope studied Mara‘s face. She looked exactly like she remembered, except for the glow of her skin that came with her holographic state. Light Hope suddenly felt guilty.

„Please forgive me, Mara.“

Mara‘s furrowed her eyebrows. „What for?“

„I didn‘t ask you if you would be comfortable with being preserved this way. I didn‘t even know if someone would find us eventually, but I had to take the chance. I couldn‘t lose you. Not then. Not ever. But I am sorry that I did condemn you to an existence as a hologram without getting your consent first. Some would argue this isn‘t even a real existence at all.“

Light Hope bowed her head, her eyes closed. Her shoulders were slumped. She felt her guilt gnawing at her core but at the same time, she didn‘t feel sorry for getting a second chance with the human, even if she technically wasn‘t human anymore.

Suddenly, the hologram felt the touch of a hand on her forearm.

„Hope, no. Please don‘t ever think that you are somehow less just because you are a hologram. Reality is highly subjective. Everyone of us lives their own reality. And you are not suddenly less real.“ She paused, waiting for Light Hope to look at her. Slowly, the woman raised her head. „We‘re not less than anyone else, just because our bodies are made out of light. I am so, so thankful that you did what you did, Hope. I‘m glad that we got another chance. In this form or any other form. I don‘t care. It‘s just a body.“ Mara looked down at her own form, stretching her arms out in front of her, flexing her fingers experimentally. „It doesn‘t even feel much different, I have to admit.“ She reached out, gently taking one of Light Hope‘s hands into hers, softly stroking the pads of her fingers across the skin. „I can even feel you.“ she added in a low voice. Light Hope nodded her head. „I saved every alteration I made to my programming and transferred it to yours. We’re both able to feel everything a human could feel.“ Mara looked at her face at that, a grin on her face. 

„I like hearing that.“ she said and Light Hope felt herself blushing.

„You are not disappointed with me?“ Light Hope felt the strong need to reassure herself that Mara was not angry with her actions.

„I am not.“ Mara said. „Trust me, I also wasn‘t ready to say goodbye to you forever on that cursed day. Our relationship had only just begun. And you gave us more time. I am thankful for that.“

Light Hope was still feeling a bit worried, but Mara‘s clarification left her feeling a bit better. Mara still noticed the tension in the taller woman.

„Come here, Hope.“ she said, opening up her arms. Light Hope didn‘t hesitate for a second and flung herself into the smaller woman‘s arms.

Both woman stood there, arms wrapped tightly around each other. Light Hope dipped her head, burying her face into Mara‘s shoulder. Mara‘s arms lightly stroked across Light Hope‘s back, her ministrations soothing the last worries that lingered. Overwhelmed with feelings, the taller woman scooped Mara up in her arms, lifting her up. Mara let out a surprised noise, staring at the hologram with wide eyes. Light Hope just watched her intently, her gaze zoning in on her lips, slightly parted because of Mara‘s surprised state. Mara noticed the other woman‘s eyes on her lips and let out a small chuckle as she started leaning in. Light Hope tightened her hold of the woman in her arms and met her halfway, her lips pressing desperately against hers.

Both women gasped at the contact.

It had been a 1000 years after all.

It felt like their first kiss again.

They stayed like that for a while, exchanging gentle kisses. Their lips brushed against each other as they took their time familiarizing themselves with the other again. Their bodies pressed softly against each other. But there was no rush. No hurry. 

Because finally, they had all the time in the world.

—-

Even though they weren‘t required to sleep anymore, they still followed a regular day and night cycle. Without even discussing it much, they had fallen into a routine which was similar to when Mara was still an organic being. After a lot of talking - and a lot of touching (both women had to make sure that they weren‘t imagining things, that they were /really/ reunited) - they had looked around, trying to find something similar to sleeping quarters. After a couple hours and a lot of wandering around the Crystal Castle, which was much bigger than they originally thought, they stumbled across a room which met their requirements. It even sported a bed, which was even bigger than Mara‘s bunk. It seemed really promising. 

Their internal clock told them it was night time and so they went to bed, lying down on top of the sheets. They immediately huddled close, Light Hope circling her arms around Mara‘s body from behind. Mara scooted back a little, relishing in the feeling of Hope pressed against her back. They entered their sleep cycle with a smile on their lips.

—-

Mara awoke exactly 7 hours later. She turned in Light Hope‘s embrace, facing the still sleeping woman. Mara let her eyes wander across her face, which seemed so serene and innocent while she was still in her sleep cycle. The brunette couldn’t grasp how lucky she was. Sure, if you were to be completely accurate, she still died on that day a thousand years ago. But it felt like she got resurrected and she had meant it when she said she was beyond thankful to get another chance at happiness. 

Mara looked at Light Hope‘s face, taking her in, trying to memorize every trait, every detail. Her eyes finally fell to the lips that were hanging slightly open. Suddenly, a warmth spread through her core. 

Okay. That hadn‘t changed apparently.

Mara grinned to herself, feeling how the energy within her suddenly shifted. She scooted a bit closer, reaching out to frame Light Hope‘s face with her hands. One of her thumbs swiped across her lower lip. Light Hope‘s eyes began to flutter. Mara came closer and lay a soft kiss against her lips, lingering there for a bit, her thumbs stroking her cheeks.

When she leaned back to look at the taller woman, Light Hope‘s eyes were open and Mara instantly recognized the desire in them.

„Good morning.“ Mara said, grinning.

Light Hope didn‘t reply. Instead, she rushed forward, capturing Mara‘s lips in a hungry kiss. Without wasting time, she traced her lower lip with her tongue and Mara gave in almost immediately. Light Hope entered her mouth swiftly and Mara hummed, her own tongue searching out hers. In a couple seconds, they panted into the others mouths, their tongues dancing between them. Light Hope‘s hands were at her arms now, pulling her against her.

When air became sparse and the women had to draw in another breath, they separated for a second. Their eyes were cloudy, their cheeks flushed.

„I want to feel you.“ Mara said.

Light Hope undressed her, slowly, languidly, peeling off layer after layer and watching how more and more of her body got revealed to her. Mara didn‘t take her eyes off of her face the entire time, wanting to see all of her reaction. Light Hope was flushed, filled with anticipation and feeling very ready for Mara already. But she wanted to take her time, wanted to savor every minute of this.

The moment her breasts got freed, Light Hope felt herself being pulled in. Like she was in trance, she lowered her head, her lips closing around Mara‘s hardened nipple. She let her tongue swirl around it and Mara moaned without reservation, catching the taller woman off guard. It seemed that she was not planning on holding back.

Honestly, Light Hope was totally fine with that.

She continued pleasuring her nipples with her mouth, alternating between her breasts, using her hands to fondle them simultaneously. Mara was arching up against her and Light Hope took as much as she could into her mouth.

Suddenly, her vision shifted as Mara pushed her onto her back, climbing into her lap, straddling her. Light Hope looked up at her, Mara towering above her, her chest bare, her breasts in full view. Even though she was now a hologram, Mara‘s body had remained exactly the same. She was still the most beautiful woman Light Hope had seen in her entire life. 

Light Hope wanted to reach out and touch the woman, but Mara shook her head.

„Nuh uh.“ She bowed down, whispering into the taller woman's ear. „It‘s my turn now.“ 

Light Hope felt a shiver running down her back as Mara leaned backwards again, her hands traveling up and down her sides and then, to the front of her robe. She pushed the garment off her shoulders and then removed the black cloth covering her upper torso. Before long, her chest was completely bare. Mara looked at her with a glint in her eye and Light Hope felt incredibly turned on.

Mara latched onto her breasts and the taller woman pressed her eyes shut at the sensation hit her. Oh how she had missed this. 

Mara was relentless. Light Hope was thankful for that. She had already started to tremble lightly, her desire painfully strong by now.

„By the gods, I want you so bad.“ Mara said, her voice coming out hoarse. 

„Then take me, Mara.“ Light Hope said, opening her eyes. She was greeted by the heavy arousal that she easily spotted in the brunette‘s grey eyes. Mara blushed deeply and captured her lips with her‘s. Her tongue darted out, poking against Light Hope‘s upper lip. Instinctively, the hologram separated her lips and Mara entered her mouth promptly at that. Their tongues slid against each other sensually and after a while the taller woman noticed how Mara had begun to slowly grind against her pelvis, in synch with the push of her tongue. The brunette seemed to be /really/ aroused.

„Can you please remove all of your clothes?“ Light Hope whispered against her lips and Mara shuddered on top of her.

„Only if you do the same.“ she replied breathlessly. 

„Of course.“ Light Hope accentuated her statement with a quick kiss to Mara‘s lips. Mara hummed against her mouth before she rolled off her and practically ripped the last of her clothes off of her body.

Light Hope just appreciated the view in silence, still laying on her back, her eyes glued to the brunette‘s body. Mara was muscular, her abs visible and her arms… Light Hope loved Mara for her mind, for her loving nature, for her inner self. The hologram wasn’t a superfluous person. Looks didn’t matter to her. But even she had to agree that Mara’s body was simply stunning. She let her eyes wander across her arms, her broad shoulders, appreciating how warm it made her feel inside. Mara raised an eyebrow at her.

„Remember you wanted to return the favor, Hope?“ 

That shook her out of her stupor.

„Most definitely.“ She moved, sliding the rest of her dress down her long legs until she was sprawled out on the bed again, finally completely naked. Mara licked her lips, her eyes wandering over her body languidly and Light Hope felt her blush intensifying.

„I thought I would never experience this again.“ Mara said, her eyes becoming unfocused at her memory.

„I‘m so glad I was wrong.“ she added, a big smile on her face. She came closer to Light Hope, hovering over her on her hands and knees. Under her, the hologram was squirming slightly. Mara did recognize the anticipation in her eyes, the blatant need for her touch. She didn‘t want to torture the other woman, so she slowly lowered her body onto the holograms.

Deep sighs cut through the air of the chamber at the contact. Naked skin pressed against skin as they grabbed onto each other tightly. Light Hope‘s lips latched onto Mara‘s throat, sucking lightly. Mara let out another gasp and the hologram read that as a sign to continue. Light Hope noticed how her skin tasted a bit different than it used to, but she loved it anyway. Her hands had started wandering over the brunette‘s sides, needing to feel as much as she could of the other woman. It had been far too long.

Mara shivered at the soft strokes, pressing closer. She leaned back to look at Light Hope, who was taken aback when she saw the unadultered love in her gaze. Their lips met in a deep kiss.

One of Mara‘s hands wormed itself between their bodies, gliding over her torso to her stomach. Even though she had never been born the way organic people were, Light Hope still had a navel. Mara had been very fascinated when she had first discovered this fact. She dipped inside with one of her fingers before she continued her path downward. The brunette was still kissing Light Hope and she felt how the hologram‘s breathing picked up the lower she got. When Mara reached the wired curls on the apex of her thighs, she noticed a distinct wetness. Surprised, she broke the kiss to look at Light Hope, an eyebrow raised in question.

„I ran another update.“ Light Hope said and Mara felt rather proud of the fact that she sounded very breathless already.

Mara‘s hand scooted downwards while she kept her eyes trained on Light Hope‘s face. She parted her lower lips, her fingers gliding through her folds, spreading the moisture all over her. Light Hope‘s eyes fluttered closed, a deep breath leaving her mouth. Mara grinned.

„Do you like that?“

„Yes. Very much.“ The hologram panted, her eyes still pressed shut. Mara let her fingers explore her intimately while she studied Light Hope‘s expression. She found her clit and Light Hope‘s hips stuttered against her hand, her mouth opening as if to moan, but no sound came out. Mara trapped her clit between her fingers, jerking her off at a slow pace. Light Hope opened her eyes again, locking them with Mara‘s, while she bucked against her hand. 

The tip of one finger grazed the hologram‘s opening and Light Hope‘s breath hitched. Testingly, Mara circled her hole with a finger, pushing against the muscles. They welcomed her and suddenly she found herself entering the other woman until she was buried to the knuckle. Light Hope let out a breath, her hips twitching against the finger. Mara looked down at the hologram, overwhelmed by the feeling of being inside Light Hope. She decided to move her finger a bit and Light Hope bit her lip at that, flinging her arms around Mara‘s shoulders, as if to hang on for dear life.

Mara soon found a steady rhythm. She looked down, fascinated as she saw her finger disappearing inside the hologram again and again.

„Add another, Mara.“ She suddenly heard Light Hope say. 

„Yes, my love.“ Mara did as was requested, lining up a second finger. She was gentle, making sure that Light Hope wouldn‘t experience any discomfort. The holograms ability to self lubricate was definetly paying off now. As she entered her, Light Hope was throwing her head back as she felt the second digit entering her, pushing down against both fingers. Mara put her other hand on her hips, meeting Light Hope‘s jerking hips with her own thrusts. 

It didn‘t take long from then on. Although at the same time it felt like it lasted forever.

Mara‘s eyes were glued to Light Hope, her girlfriend, as she was impaling herself on her fingers, pleasure visible on her face. Mara added a thumb to the mix, circling her hardened clit and Light Hope got even more energetic. Deep breaths left her mouth, accompanied by the occasional moan when Mara hit just the right spot inside of her.

Light Hope‘s head was thrown back and Mara stared at her exposed throat. After a while, she couldn‘t hold herself back any longer and she shot forward, her lips pressing hungrily against the skin. She placed open mouthed kissed against her throat, using her teeth to lightly graze across the skin, resulting in little whimpers that left the holograms mouth. Mara didn‘t slow down, not with her mouth, nor with her hand. Light Hope was close, so close. She leaned back a little, the tip of her nose brushing against Light Hope‘s as she stared into her eyes.

„I love you.“ she stated and captured her lips in a kiss and that was it.

Mara felt the moan leaving Light Hope and spilling into her own mouth and she swallowed it willingly. Under her, the hologram‘s hips stuttered against her, having lost all sense of rhythm. Mara kissed her deeply while Light Hope pressed against her, jerking against her hand, frantically trying to prolong her release. Mara smiled against her lips, thankful to provide her girlfriend with such pleasure.

After a while, they slowed down, Light Hope‘s hand covering her own that was still buried inside of her.

„Please remain inside of me for an additional duration of time. Feeling you inside of me gives me the kind of comfort I have missed for the longest time.“ Mara nodded, resting her forehead against Light Hope‘s. Their breaths mixed between them and both of them simply appreciated the moment. Sharing intimacy after all this time was a blessing neither had thought they would ever receive.

„Mara, I love you.“ 

Mara looked down at Light Hope, tears in her eyes.

„I will love you every day. For as long as you want me.“

Mara smiled, her tears beginning to spill, running down her cheeks.

„Oh Hope. I don‘t think I could ever not want you. I love you. Forever.“

„Forever.“ Light Hope repeated. And for the first time, both women felt that this time, it was a promise and not just a wish.

——

Later that night, Mara was lying on her back, her eyes half lidded while Light Hope was feasting on her. The brunettes legs were thrown over the holograms shoulder to give her better access and Light Hope was currently letting her tongue swirl through her folds with utter dedication.

„Don‘t stop, Hope.“ Mara gasped. She felt Light Hope’s tongue fluttering against her opening before it pressed against her clit flatly. Mara‘s hips jerked forward, her eyes falling shut.

„This is incredible.“ She muttered. It felt like all of her nerve endings were on fire. Light Hope really had outdone herself with her programming. Mara felt herself approaching her release quickly.

„I want you inside of me.“ she practically ordered and Light Hope complied without question. She sneaked a hand between her legs, probing at her entrance with two fingers. 

„Ohhhh...“ Mara exclaimed when she felt those fingers press against her and she spread her legs to give Light Hope even better access.

Soon, Light Hope was filling her up, her mouth still covering her clit and Mara let herself fall, feeling the pleasure wash over her. Light Hope didn‘t give in, didn‘t slow down, but gave Mara everything she needed. 

Mara came against her mouth, her opening pulsating around her fingers and Light Hope guided her through her release. The brunette took the deepest breaths, her skin tingly from feelings all kinds of sensations. This was intense. Even though she was still feeling the aftershocks rippling through her body, she wanted to do this again. She also wanted to watch Light Hope come again and again. 

Mara grinned to herself. The thing was, that now, she could. For literally all eternity. She would make good use of that.

Light Hope was everything to her. Now that they were reunited, she felt complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I wasn‘t in the right mood for a couple of days. Thank you for being patient! Hope you enjoyed it :)


	13. free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noelle Stevenson confirmed it on twitter! Marahope is canon! Yassss! 
> 
> And now, enjoy the final chapter/epilogue of this fic :)

Mara and Light Hope didn’t allow any visitors for a couple of weeks. They took their time to get to know each other again, after being apart for more than a thousand years. Overall, they had made good use of their time together and, thanks to Adora probably, it went completely undisturbed. Mara was beyond grateful for that because she and her girlfriend had spent about 80 percent of their time in various states of undress, wrapped up inside the other‘s arms. But to their defense, it had been a while since they had been able to be close to each other and both women needed the affirmation that they were together again. Now with the planet finally freed, there were no pressing matters that needed their immediate attention and for the first time, they were able to completely enjoy their days without worrying about the future of the universe.

When they had finally allowed Entrapta to return to the Crystal Castle, the purple haired princess had struggled to contain her excitement. She had practically flung herself into her work, downloading tons of data onto her pad and analyzing every single thing she could find inside the Castle. Mara and Light Hope didn‘t mind at all. Both were aware that Entrapta played a vital role in restoring both of them and they were very grateful for that. They could easily see how intelligent the princess was and when it came to uncovering secrets in regards to technology, her dedication was impressive.

Light Hope got the idea after a couple of weeks. Entrapta was working regularly in the Crystal Castle nowadays. There was so much data stored that she would probably keep on working there for quite a while.

The hologram liked Entrapta. She was easy to talk to. She was also a very focused person when it came to technological things. Light Hope had not to hold back with her. She usually understood everything the hologram talked about in an instant and so the two had recently started having deep discussions about tech.

Which was why Light Hope was suddenly reminded of a little invention that she hadn‘t been able to complete before she was temporarily deleted (for a 1000 years nonetheless).

„Ohhhh….“ Entrapta said when she studied the pad with the schematics that Light Hope had given to her.

„I began working on this shortly before they reprogrammed me, so it‘s far from finished yet, but I was able to save this.“

Entrapta scrolled through the pad, her brows knit together tightly. „This is gonna be /really/ complicated.“ The purple haired princess nodded to herself, her eyes still glued to the pad.

„I am aware. This is why I am asking you to assist me. If you are available, of course.“

Entrapta looked up, her eyes glistening.

„Y E S. I am available! Thank you for asking me! This is gonna be so much fun!“

The corners of Light Hope‘s mouth curled upwards slightly.

„I hope our collaboration will prove to be successful.“

Entrapta shot a big grin at her.

„Oh, no doubt it will be a huuuge success! I will make sure of that! Let‘s get this going!“

—-

The first thing she noticed when she stepped outside the Crystal Castle was the blinding light. It was all around her. Everything was just so bright. Light Hope squinted her eyes against the brightness. She could feel the warmth of the rays of sunshine on her skin. What a wonderous feeling. The hologram looked over at Mara, who was observing her with a smile playing on her lips.

Mara had almost forgotten about their plans to work on a device which would have allowed Light Hope to leave the ship as she pleased. During the last weeks, Light Hope and Entrapta had resumed working on the invention in secret. Whenever they could, they had sat together, constructing a tiny device that would allow the holograms to leave the castle and move around individually, without being bound to one place anymore. With the help of the inventor princess, Light Hope’s work on the device had finally paid off. They were able to finish the prototypes yesterday and that was when Light Hope had finally told Mara. The brunette hadn’t been able to hold back her tears when she heard what Light Hope and Entrapta had accomplished. Originally only meant for Light Hope, the device would now help the both of them because of Mara’s new holographic state. This device would enable both women to live freely, to go wherever they wanted to, to live a life without any restrictions. 

„Are you ready to see the outside world?“

Light Hope stared at Mara in wonder. Her eyes traveled across her form, the sun reflecting off of her skin. The hologram reached out and Mara put her hand in her‘s. They clasped their hands together tightly as Mara stood next to her. It was all new for Light Hope. She had never left the ship or the Crystal Castle. In a way, she had lived in a cage. Always forced to stay inside, unable to explore the outer world. This would change today and Mara was thankful that she would accompany her.

„I wanna show you something.“ the brunette said and Light Hope just nodded.

Hand in hand, they wandered down the path which led into the Whispering Woods. They walked in silence, taking their time to take in their surroundings. Mara was casting sideway glances at her girlfriend, curious about her reaction to the outside world. She noticed how tightly the hologram was grabbing her hand, as if needing to reassure herself that she was not alone, that she was safe here. Mara squeezed her hand lightly and Light Hope looked at her, smiling softly. She looked beautiful out here. The sun fell onto her face, the canopy above them casting intricate shadows over her features. Mara smiled back at her, brushing her thumb over the back of her hand.

After a while, Mara gestured for Light Hope to walk between some tree trunks with giant roots. When they stepped through, the women found themselves on a wide clearing. The ground was covered with the most colorful flowers.

Light Hope was rendered speechless. She looked around, stunned by the beauty of the scenery. She had never seen anything like it. Light Hope looked over to Mara, who was just grinning back at her.

„This is the place where I collected the bouquet for you. You know, way back then. It doesn‘t look exactly the same, but that makes sense, considering that quite some time had passed. But imagine how happy I was when I scanned this area yesterday and realized that the flower fields are still here.“

The taller woman's eyes traveled over to the flowers again, then back to Mara‘s face.

„It is so beautiful.“ She went up to Mara, standing right in front of her. Light Hope took both of her hands into hers, looking down at them. „Thank you for showing me this place. I have always cherished the moment you brought these flowers to me.“

„When I stumbled across all this for the first time… I was somehow thinking of you all of a sudden. I was confused as to why, at first. But I decided to collect some flowers, to bring them to you. I wanted to show you that you meant something to me.“

Cyan blue eyes locked with grey ones.

„I cannot tell if I still approve of the concept of destiny after everything we have been through, but if it was destiny that caused me to meet you, then I am not complaining.“ The taller woman dipped her head, moving in and Mara closed her eyes, raising her chin.

Their lips met softly, almost timidly.

They gently moved their lips against each other, savoring the moment. The warm sunlight played over their faces. Birds were chirping in the distance while a light breeze grazed their skin.

When they seperated, Mara took Light Hope‘s hand into hers, smiling brightly at her.

„Come on.“ She pulled the other woman along, deeper into the flower field.

Light Hope stumbled behind her. Soon, they were in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by flowers. The hologram inhaled deeply, the sweetness of the blooming flowers intoxicating.

Mara spun around, facing Light Hope. With a slight push, she got her to sit on the ground. The flowers were quite high, concealing them pretty good. Light Hope‘s gaze was fixed on Mara, who slowly climbed on top of her, lowering herself until she was seated in her lap. She traced the side of her face with her fingers, taking her cheek into her palm as she leaned forward to capture the taller woman‘s lips. 

Light Hope melted against her, her breath hitching as she felt the wet tip of Mara‘s tongue against her lower lips. Mara was in her lap, her front pressed against her‘s. The smell of the surrounding flowers mingled with the faint scent of Mara and heightened the hologram's senses. She pressed herself closer to her and parted her lips, letting her mouth be claimed by Mara. 

They moved slowly, passionately, breathing into the other's mouth as if their life depended on it.

Mara squirmed on top of her, holding her face with both hands now. Light Hope pushed her tongue against Mara‘s, reveling in the fact that Mara‘s gasped at the contact, opening her own mouth wider. 

After a while, they slowly calmed down. They were still constantly being overwhelmed by their attraction to each other, filled by a strong need to be close to each other. It often escalated from there on. And although Mara had definitely planned to make love to Light Hope out in the open and preferably in a field of flowers, today was not the day.

They had all the time in the world, so they wouldn‘t need to rush it, after all. She wanted to make sure that Light Hope would not get overwhelmed and so she decided to go slow on her first day in the outside world.

Mara‘s forehead leaned against Light Hope‘s as their breathing gradually slowed down. Her fingers were still lazily stroking across her cheek.

„Hope?“ Mara asked when she had calmed down a bit.

„Yes?“ the hologram inquired, leaning back a bit, so she was able to look into her face again.

„I love you.“

Light Hope framed Mara‘s face with her hands, looking at her sincerely.

„I love you too.“

And in the midst of thousands of flowers, they kissed again, softly, lovingly. Two beings made of light, in love united for all eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was quite the ride. My longest fic up to date! I‘m so glad for everyone who read this, gave kudos and commented. You guys did wonders to my motivation some days :3 
> 
> I hope I‘ll see you again on some other fics in the future! 
> 
> Again, thanks for sticking around and have a nice day!!


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